.... Essentially insoluble in oil by themselves, asphaltenes are held in suspension in oil by natural surfactants called resins. However, the bond holding the resins to the asphaltene is rather weak; resins can be stripped from the asphaltene through contact with light end alkenes as well as through variations...

... micelles. Resins and maltenes, which are molecular precursors of the asphaltenes, act to stabilize a dispersion of asphaltene particles. The asphaltenes are surrounded by the resins and maltenes polar heads, while their increasingly aliphatic tails extend into the hydrocarbon (oil) phase. When mechanical...