In organic chemistry terms the difference between asphaltene and maltene

is that asphaltene is any of the dark organic constituents of crude oils and bitumen that are soluble in aromatic solvents but not in aliphatic ones; they are polycyclic aromatic compounds (composed of fused benzene rings) with aliphatic side chains while maltene is the oily, resinous component of asphalt that remains when the asphaltenes are removed.