What type of substance is octane

Octane is an organic chemical, specifically an alkane, with formula C8H Octane has many isomers. One of those isomeres, the isooctane 2,2,4-trimetylpentane is especially important, because its octane rating is by definition So it is an important constituent of petrol US:gasoline.

Octane ratings are ratings used to represent the anti-knock performance of petrol by giving the percentage of octane in an octane-heptane mixture that would have the same performance. Nonrenewable sources. Oil and petroleum products. Diesel fuel. Heating oil. Also in Oil and petroleum products explained Oil and petroleum products Refining crude oil Where our oil comes from Imports and exports Offshore oil and gas Use of oil Prices and outlook Oil and the environment.

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A cornerstone of U. Thanks to EPA regulations of mobile sources, air pollutants have been reduced by millions of tons in the urban environment. Several EPA fuel regulations have concerned octane. Octane is a gasoline additive that is needed for the proper functioning of modern engines. Octane sources have taken many forms throughout the years, both renewable and petroleum-based.

As adverse health and environmental consequences have been discovered for lead and petroleum-based octane providers, they have been removed from the fuel supply or decreased. Today, there are two primary sources of octane used in the U. Knock is virtually unknown to modern drivers. This is primarily because fuels contain an oxygenate that prevents knock by adding oxygen to the fuel.

This oxygenate is commonly referred to as octane. At most retail gasoline stations, three octane grades are offered, 87 regular , 89 mid-grade , and premium.

The higher the octane number, the more resistant the gasoline mixture is to knock. Doing so would increase vehicle efficiency and lower greenhouse gases through decreased petroleum consumption. In the early 20th century, automotive manufacturers were searching for a chemical that would reduce engine knock.

In , automotive engineers working for General Motors discovered that tetraethyl lead better known as lead provided octane to gasoline, preventing engine knock. While aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and alcohols such as ethanol were also known octane providers at the time, lead was the preferred choice due to its lower production cost. Leaded gasoline was the predominant fuel type in the United States until the U.

Environmental Protection Agency EPA began phasing it out in the mids because of proven serious health impacts. Early in its use as a fuel additive, health concerns were raised regarding the use of lead in gasoline.

In , 15 refinery workers in New Jersey and Ohio died of suspected lead poisoning. As a result, the Surgeon General temporarily suspended the production of leaded gasoline and convened a panel to investigate the potential dangers of lead use in gasoline.

Despite these warnings, the Surgeon General set a voluntary standard of lead content, which the refining industry successfully met for decades.

It was not until the s, following extensive health research, that the devastating health impacts of low-level lead exposure were established. The health impacts of lead exposure in children include anemia, behavioral disorders, low IQ, reading and learning disabilities, and nerve damage. In adults, lead exposure is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Prior to the lead phase-out in gasoline, the total amount of lead used in gasoline was over , tons per year. Congress passed the Clean Air Act in , setting in motion the formation of the EPA and, ultimately, the removal of lead from gasoline.

EPA estimates that between and , 68 million children were exposed to toxic levels of lead from leaded gasoline alone. The phase-out of lead from gasoline subsequently reduced the number of children with toxic levels of lead in their blood by 2 million individuals a year between and The EPA is formed and given the authority to regulate compounds that endanger human health.

Lead damages the catalytic converters used in these new vehicles to control tailpipe emissions.