ASPHALT

n. A?s-fa®lt. Gr., dopadros, dopadrov, Lat., asphaltum (Fr. Cod.], bitumen judaicum. Fr., asphatte, goudron minéral, bitume de Judée [Fr. Cod.]. Ger., Asphalt, Judenpech, Erdharz, Erdpech, Bergpech. ‘It, asfaito, bitume giudaico. Sp.) asfalto [Sp. Ph.]. "Compact bitumen, mineral pitch, Jew’s pitch; a smooth, hard, brittle, black or brownish-black, resinous mineral, of conchoidal fracture and bituminous odor, which takes fire easily and burns with a bright but very smoky flame. It consists of carbon, TECH oxygen, and nitrogen in varying proportions, with a variable amount of ash. According to Bou ingault, it is a mixture of asphalt ene and petrolene. It is found pure on the shores of the Dead Sea, and more or le pure in other parts of the world. Occurring mixed with liquid petroleum, so as to be semi-solid, it constitutes maltha, or mineral tar. It was used by the ancient Egyptians for embalming. [B, 2.)—Artificial a. ‘ Coal-tar a., gas-tar a.; a mixture of sand, chalk, or limestone, with the thick, pitch: residue obtained by evaporating the more volatile portion oi oe tar. [B.]—A. cement. See A. varnish—A. oil. Lat., oleum asphalt i. Ger.,. A yellow or dark-brown oil, consisting of hydrocarbons with a small quantity of oxidized matter, obtained by, the dry distillation of a. It has been used in the treatment of phthisis.and as an antispasmodic. [A, 301; B; L, 30.J—A’stein (Ger.). A mixture of a. and limestone, found in various parts of the world. [L, 37.]—A. varnish. Brunswick black, a varnish made by di olving, with the aid of heat, 4 oz. of asphalt and } drachm of India-rubber in 10 oz. of mineral naphtha; used for making cells on microscope slides. [Carpenter (B, 164).]—Coal-tar a. See Artificial a.—Gas-tar a. See Artificial a,