Definition of "naphthenic" [naphthenic]

• Of, pertaining to, or derived from a naphthene (adjective)

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• "The federal government has failed to issue national standards for regulating tar-sands pollutants such as naphthenic acids."
• "The tailing ponds surrounding the tar sands oil operations leak about 1 billion gallons of water a year -- water that includes benzene, cyanide, naphthenic acids, phenols, and a host of other chemicals harmful to fish not to mention human beings."
• "The Ivy Leaguers used aluminum salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids to produce a thickening agent for gasoline."