>So what is the octane boosting chemical in octane boosters. I have seen
>methanol on alot of the containers, is that all it is??
Sometime in the last 5 years Road & Track did a study on these. You may
want to dig it up; I don't remember much about. (Maybe this is what Mike
G. said he was sending you.) I seem to recall that they weren't too
impressed with any of them.
>What is the best "real" octane booster, short of using 100% heptane??
>I'd appreciate common AND correct chemical name (IUPAC).
Well, the best booster is anything *but* heptane --- n-heptane knocks very
badly, and in fact defines ZERO for the octane scale. The octane number of
100 is defined by 2,2,4-trimethylpentane ("iso-octane"). There are, of
course, fuels which have a much better octane rating than 100. Branched-
chain compounds are more effective at reducing knock (such as iso-octane);
the worst are straight-chain compounds (like n-heptane). Aromatic
hydrocarbons are quite effective anti-knock agents (benzene, toluene, and
millions of variations thereof) but are frowned upon by health and safety
people. Benzene is pretty highly correlated with cancer in studies;
toluene is the stuff in airplane glue that makes kids high, then dead.
What's probably the *best* octane booster? (...drum roll...)
TETRA-ETHYLLEAD. (C5H5)4Pb. Yes, the lead that is absent in unleaded gas.
Even after all these years, it's still one of the best ways to pump up that
octane rating. Oh, you say you can't get it at the hardware store? Hmm,
wonder why. Actually, it is still available; someone has been advertising
it in the classified section of Classic Auto Restorer occassionally. There
were some disclaimers involved, but I don't have it with me to check it
out. It's also available from Texas Alkyls in Houston, but they'll want you
to order a tank-car full. Here in College Station it's been possible to
buy leaded racing gas from the pumps at Texas World Speedway, but since the
track ownership is now in the courts I don't know if I can still get in.
Lee M. Daniels Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding
daniels@lmsbvx.tamu.edu Texas A&M University (409) 845-3726
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