Abstract:
An anti-knock composition comprises an organolead compound and (i) a polyhalogenated hydrocarbon containing 5 to 20 carbon atoms wherein each halogen-bearing carbon atom is attached by single bonds to three other carbon atoms, and each halogen-bearing carbon atom is in the alpha position to a carbon atom having at least one hydrogen atom thereon; or (ii) a mono-halogenated hydrocarbon containing 4 to 20 carbon atoms, and a halogen atom on a carbon atom attached by single bonds to three other carbon atoms and having at least one hydrogen atom on a carbon atom in the alpha position to the halogen-bearing carbon atom; or (iii) a halogenated hydrocarbon having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and one or two halogen atoms, each halogen atom being on a carbon atom attached by single bonds to two non-halogenbearing carbon atoms and to a hydrogen atom, there being at least one hydrogen atom on a carbon atom in the alpha position to the halogen-bearing carbon atom, and wherein the carbon-to-halogen ratio is at least 3 : 1 ; or (iv) a halohydrin having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, 1 to 4 hydroxy groups and 1 to 6 halogen atoms, at least one halogen atom being located on a carbon atom which is not more than two carbon atoms removed from an OH-bearing carbon atom; or (v) an aromatic halogenated hydrocarbon having 8 to 20 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 halogen atoms, wherein each halogen atom is attached to a saturated carbon atom in the alpha position to a doubly bonded nuclear carbon atom and having a separate hydrogenbearing carbon atom in the alpha position to each halogen-bearing carbon atom; or (vi) a mixture of (a) a halogenated hydrocarbon of 4 to 20 carbon atoms and 2 to 6 halogen atoms in which at least one halogen atom is attached to a carbon atom attached to three other carbon atoms by single bonds and at least one halogen atom is attached to a carbon atom which is attached by single bonds to not more than two other carbon atoms; with (b) a halogenated hydrocarbon having 2 or 3 carbon atoms and one or two halogen atoms. The halogen atoms may be chlorine or bromine. The composition may contain other halogen compounds, such as ethylene dibromide, ethylene dichloride, 1,4-dibromobutane and 1,1-dibromoethane. The lead compound may be tetraethyl lead, tetrapropyl lead, dimethyldiethyl lead, methyltriethyl lead, diethyl diphenyl lead or tetrabutyl lead. The composition may be added to gasoline to provide 0.02 to 13.2 grams of lead per U.S. gallon. In examples the halogen compounds of the invention are 2,3-dibromo2,3 - dimethylbutane, t - butyl bromide, 2-bromobutane, 1 - bromo - 2 - propanol, 1-bromo - 1 - phenylethane, 1 - chloro - 1 - phenylethane, 1,2 - dibromo - 2 - methylpropane, bromocyclohexane, 1 - bromo - 2 - hexanol, 2 - bromo - 2 - methylpropane, 2 - chloro - 2-methylbutane, 2 - bromopropane, 2 - bromoethanol-1 and 2-chloroethanol.