Studies relating to the mechanism of antiknock action of tetraethyl lead

✍ Scribed by K.C. Salooja

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1965
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 479 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-2180
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-2180(65)90087-8

✦ Synopsis

The lead compounds formed during the combustion in glass apparatus of hydrocarbons containing tetraethyl lead (TEL) are mainly orthorhombic and tetragonal polymorphs of lead monoxide. Their relative proportions vary with temperature and with the nature of the base fuel. The oxidative degradation of the organic part of TEL promotes combustion. Combustion inhibition by TEL is entirely due to the lead monoxides formed, both types having similar effects although that of the tetragonal form is the greater. Lead monoxide of either type introduced as a coating on the walls of the reaction vessel is not as effective as lead monoxide formed directly by vapour phase oxidation o/ TEL. The effect of lead monoxides on combustion intermediates is to destroy peroxides completely, to decrease the concentration of carbonylic compounds and to increase that of hydrocarbons. The relative proportions of the different carbonylic compounds, and also those of hydrocarbon intermediates, remain almost unchanged. Mechanisms have been proposed to account for these effects.