Bitumen
Description
A common name for the organic, or hydrocarbon, portion of Asphalt. Bitumen is a dark brown or black solid to semisolid material. It was used by ancient Egyptians as an adhesive. Bitumen is currently is used in hot-melt adhesives, coating, paints, sealants, roofing and road coating. The name bitumen has been used as a synonym for Asphaltum, Tar, and Pitch and was also used as a commercial product name for a transparent, brown artists pigment made from asphaltum.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Bitumen (Deut.); bitume (Fr.); bitumen (Esp.); bitume (It.); betume (Port.); asphaltum; tar; pitch; asphaltum; tar; pitch;
Other Properties
Soluble in carbon disulfide.
| Refractive Index | 1.64 - 1.66 |
|---|
Hazards and Safety
Combustible. Softens at slightly elevated temperatures.
Ages poorly in dried oil films resulting in movement, disfigurement and/or cracks.
Additional Information
° R.White "Brown and Black Organic Glazes, Pigments and Paints" National Gallery Technical Bulletin, 10:58-71, 1986.
° Georgiana Languri, Molecular studies of Asphalt, Mummy and Kassel earth pigments, MOLART report 2004, available through Archetype Publications, London.
Sources Checked for Data in Record
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- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 76
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- Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000