Tetraethyllead

Tetraethyllead is an organolead compound once added to gasoline to suppress engine knock. Its widespread use was phased out because combustion released toxic lead into the environment.

Engine knocking: Abnormal combustion in a spark-ignition engine that produces pressure waves and a characteristic metallic sound. Tetraethyllead was added to gasoline to suppress this damaging combustion.
Midgley’s antiknock research: Thomas Midgley Jr.’s 1920s research into chemical additives that could reduce engine knocking. This research identified tetraethyllead as an effective gasoline additive.
Lead poisoning: Illness caused by lead entering the body, damaging the nervous system and other organs. Lead released from tetraethyllead-contaminated exhaust caused widespread exposure.
Ethanol fuel additive: Ethanol is an alcohol blended into gasoline to increase oxygen content and improve octane performance. It can boost octane without adding lead to fuel.
Octane rating: A measure of a fuel’s resistance to knocking in spark-ignition engines. Adding tetraethyllead raised gasoline’s resistance to knock.
Thomas Midgley Jr.: An American engineer and inventor associated with tetraethyllead and chlorofluorocarbon development. He helped develop and promote tetraethyllead as an antiknock additive.
Lead pollution: Environmental contamination by lead from industrial, fuel, paint, and other sources. Exhaust from leaded gasoline dispersed tetraethyllead’s lead across populated areas.
Methyl tert-butyl ether: Methyl tert-butyl ether is an oxygen-containing compound formerly used to raise gasoline octane. It replaced lead additives in some gasoline markets before environmental concerns limited its use.
Lead scavenger: A fuel additive that reacts with lead compounds to help remove them from an engine during combustion. Ethylene dibromide helped carry lead residues out of engines using tetraethyllead.
General Motors: An American automotive manufacturer founded in 1908. General Motors supported research that led to commercial tetraethyllead use.

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