Gilsonite

Description

[American Gilsonite Co] A registered trademark for a very pure, rock-hard, Asphalt originally sold in the late 19th century. Gilsonite®, or uintahite, is a natural Bitumen found only in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. It is very brittle and lustrous. Gilsonite® is used in black varnishes, lacquers, baking enamels, japans, Linoleum, floor tile and paving where it increases resistance to acids, alkalis and water. In the early 19th century, Gilsonite® was often mixed with Mica, Asbestos, gums, or resins to produce electrical components. It is also the first solid hydrocarbon to be converted to Gasoline.

Synonyms and Related Terms

uintaite; gilsonita (Esp.); asfaltita (Esp.); uintahite; Gilsonite; asphaltite; Utah coal resin; rock asphalt

FTIR(MFA)

Other Properties

Soluble in ethanol, turpentine, mineral spirits.

Softening point = 290-400F. Acid value = 2.3

Density	1.04-1.10

Hazards and Safety

Skin contact may cause irritation.

Additional Information

American Gilsonite Co.: Website

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 9977

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilsonite (Accessed Jan. 15, 2006)

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000