Introduction – Origins – Significant People – Chemistry
Isooctane Affects History – Advertising – The Future – References
ORIGINS
Knocking
Automobiles that were created in the 20th century faced a lot of engineering problems, which included engine preignition, also known as “knocking.” It occurs when the fuel inside the engine chamber ignites before the spark plug fires. This causes loud noises, a decrease in engine performance, and a bumpy ride. It also can cause the spark-plug points to overheat, erosion of the combustion chamber surface, and inefficient operation.
This was a major problem within the automobile industry and prevented it from expanding. Cars were not that popular at first because of the amount of knocking and how uncomfortable it was at times during a car ride. It was a problem that needed to be solved in order to increase popularity in cars and to allow progress in the automobile industry.
Discovery
In response to the problem of knocking, research scientists at the Ethyl Corporation studied different purified hydrocarbons, and tested combinations of them to see which ones caused knocking. They found that using isooctane, a hydrocarbon fuel, in gasoline would eliminate the problem of knocking. Isooctane solved the preignition problem, and remains the essential hydrocarbon for calibrating engine performance. Ordinary gasoline produces the knock in the automobile engine that is stressed or operated under high compression, but the addition of isooctane makes motors usable of higher compression, and more efficiency. (Society for Science. 341) It allowed the creation of more efficient and higher powered engines.
Automobile in the 1920’s
Octane Scale
Throughout their search for the problem, they found that heptane produced the most amount of knocking, and isooctane produced the least, and the combination of these two components is used to measure the octane number of a specific fuel. The octane ratings that are present at gas stations are determined by anti-knocking tests calibrated to isooctane. The higher the number, the more isooctane is in the gasoline and the more expensive it is.
The octane ratings that are present at gas stations are determined by anti-knocking tests calibrated to isooctane. Researches found that heptane produced the most amount of knocking, and isooctane produced the least, and the combination of these two components are used to measure the octane number of a specific fuel.