Definition
Bitumen is the fraction of fossil organic matter in sedimentary rocks that is soluble in organic solvents (such as dichloromethane, hexanes, and methanol). It is a brown to black, highly viscous material that includes diverse organic macromolecules and chemical biomarkers. Bitumen is a component in petroleum.
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Javaux, E.J. (2014). Bitumen. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_197-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_197-4
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4
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