noun
- cyclic saturated hydrocarbons found in petroleum, also called cycloalkanes
Usage: chemistry; petroleum industry
Examples
- Naphthenes are important components of crude oil.
- The refinery processes naphthenes to produce various petroleum products.
- Cyclohexane is a common example of naphthenes found in gasoline.
- The chemical analysis revealed high concentrations of naphthenes in the sample.
- Naphthenes have ring structures that distinguish them from straight-chain alkanes.
- The petroleum engineer studied the naphthenes content in different oil reserves.