Leaded gasolineIn 1921, tetraethyl lead was first given a laboratory test as an anti-knock additive to gasoline fuel. The knock in the one-cylinder laboratory engine was utterly silenced. Even at a strength of only 2-3g grams per gallon (1000 to 1 dilution), it had a remarkable ability to quiet the relentless knocking. This invention of Thomas Midgley, Jr., of the General Motors Research Laboratories, located in Dayton, Ohio, was first put on public sale as ethyl gasoline in the same city on 2 Feb 1923. This invention of leaded gasoline came after seven years of testing at least 33,000 compounds. Previously, on hard acceleration, an engine sometimes made knocking, popping or crackling sounds, which sapped power and could damage the engine. |
