United States Patent Office Patented Aug
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2,849,302 United States Patent Office Patented Aug. 26, 1953 thasaraywarrasants, 2. east one hydrogen atom attached thereto. That is, each of the tertiary halogens is capable of forming hydro 2,849,392 gen halide with a hydrogen atom attached to a different ANTIKNoCK COMPOSITIONS carbon atom which is in a position alpha to the halogen 5 bearing carbon. In this description the term tertiary car Raymond G. Lyben, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Ethy bon atom is defined as a carbon atom which has three Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Dear other carbon atoms attached thereto by single bonds. Ware Thus, the novel scavenging agents of this invention are No Drawing. Application May 31, 955 certain chlorohydrocarbons, bromohydrocarbons and Seria Rio. 52,284 chlorobromohydrocarbons. The halohydrocarbon scav enging agents of this invention can be derived from al 7 Clains. (C. 44-69) kanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, cycloalkenes, and hydrocar bon-substituted derivatives thereof. The smallest hydro carbon radical which can provide a scavenger of this in This invention relates to improved antiknock composi s vention contains five carbon atoms; e. g., 1,2-dihalo-1,2- tions. These compositicins encompass antiknock fluids dimethylcyclopropane. In order to provide scavengers and leaded fuels. In particular, this invention relates to having the desirable volatility characteristics with respect a class of hydrocarbons having a particular molecular to the lead antiknock agent, I prefer to employ uniform structure for use as a scavenger with lead antiknock con ly stable scavengers having up to 20 carbon atoms. pounds. Thus, it will be seen that the carbon content of my scav With the discovery of the antiknock effectiveness of or engers ranges from 5 to 20 carbons per molecule. A pre ganolead compounds, in particular alkyllead compounds ferred embodiment of my invention comprises poly such as tetraethyllead, it was found that for efficient op tertiary bromoalkanes having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms eration of the engine, means must be provided to remove as these have more favorable volatility characteristics. the lead-containing products of combustion. The first 2: In the scavengers of my invention the ratio of carbon-to advance in this art was the discovery that certain or halogen can vary between 10:1 and 2:1. However, for ganic halogen compounds, when co-present with the lead best results I prefer to employ compounds having from antiknock compound, reacted in the combustion chamber 2 to 4 halogen atoms. with the combustion products of the lead antiknock to Thus, it is seen that in general my invention comprises form volatile lead halides. These lead halides during providing halohydrocarbon scavenger-containing lead an the exhaust cycle were more or less efficiently removed tiknock fluids and fuels wherein at least one mole per from the combustion chamber. This process has been cent of halogen in the halohydrocarbon scavenger is pres called scavenging, and a material capable of so reacting ent in the form of poly(t-halo) hydrocarbon having 5 with lead is referred to as a lead scavenger or, more sim to 20 carbon atoms and 2 to 6 halogens in which all ply, as a scavenger. Choice of a commercial scavenger the halogens are of atomic weight 35 to 81 and are on to date has been based on commercial availability and tertiary carbon atoms alpha to a carbon atom having cost. Thus, up to the present the only scavengers which at least one hydrogen atom attached thereto, there being have enjoyed any commercial success have been ethylene a separate hydrogen atom on such alpha carbon for each dibromide and ethylene dichloride. Other halogen-con halogen in the molecule. taining compounds proposed as scavengers were those (O With all halogen scavengers, the scavenging effect is which can be introduced into the combustion chambers achieved by decomposition of the scavenger in the engine of the various cylinders of a multi-cylinder engine in the to form hydrogen halide which then reacts at some point same proportionate ratio as the tetraethyllead. This can in the combustion cycle with the decomposition product be achieved by employing scavengers which have approxi of the lead antiknock compound to form volatile lead mately the same relative volatility in the fuel as the tet halide. Previously known scavengers produce such hy raethyl lead. These scavengers are known as uniformly drogen halide only during or after the advance of the volatile scavengers. As before, no consideration was flame front. The scavengers of this invention achieve given to chemical or physico-chemical properties as they their enhanced effectiveness because they produce the hy affect the scavenging function. drogen halide not only during and after the advance of It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide the flame front but, more significantly, before the passing antiknock compositions having improved scavenging of the flame front. It has been established that lead an properties. It is another object of this invention to pro tiknock compounds exert their effectiveness by the pro vide antiknock fluids containing improved scavengers. duction in the combustion chamber of a fog of non It is likewise an object of this invention to provide fuels 55 halogenated inorganic lead, which is probably lead ox containing lead antiknock agents and improved scaven ide. This lead oxide fog not only is produced before gers. It is a further object of this invention to provide the advance of the flame front but also exerts its influ means for operating an internal combustion engine with ence on knock-inducing components of the combustion leaded fuels in a manner wherein the advantages of the chamber gases prior to their combustion in the flame lead antiknock are utilized to a maximum degree and the front. The duration of the effectiveness of these anti disadvantages are minimized. These and other objects 60 knock particles is short, because they agglomerate rap of this invention will become apparent from the following idly and the amount of surface exposed to the reactive description. fuel-air mixture drops off. For best results the active The above and other objects are accomplished by pro scavenging chemical, hydrogen halide, should be available viding antiknock fluids and leaded fuels which contain shortly after the lead oxide particles have exerted their what I term uniformly stable, double-acting scavengers. 65 antiknock effect, but before they have agglomerated into These uniformly stable scavengers are poly(t-halo) hydro large particles or deposited on the walls of the combus carbon compounds in which the halogen-bearing carbon tion chamber. En order to accomplish this the scaven atoms are attached by single bonds to three other non gers must have a rate of decomposition which is closely aromatic carbon atoms, and in which all the halogers are related to the decomposition rate of tetraethylead. Thus, of atomic weight 35 to 81, the compounds being further 70 there is a supply of hydrogen halide available for re characterized in that each halogen-bearing tertiary car action with the lead antiknock decomposition products bon atom is alpha to a separate carbon atom having at shortly after they have performed their function as anti 2,849,302 4. knocks. Hence, there is more time for reaction between and 0.25 theory of bromine as 2,3-dibromo-2,3-dimethyl hydrogen halides and the lead antiknock decomposition butane, a new scavenger of this invention, an actual in products under conditions most favorable to such reac crease of 27 percent in the effectiveness of the tetraethyl tion; namely, in the presence of large amounts of oxy lead was observed. That is, the antiknock action of gen before a given part of the mixture is consumed by s the fuel blended with the new scavenger was equal to the the combustion flame. Because the compounds used as antiknock action that could be achieved by adding an scavengers in this invention have a rate of decomposi additional 27 percent of tetraethylead to the fuel used. tion which is closely related to that of tetraethylead, Scavengers of this invention provide the only known they are called uniformly stable scavengers, or, briefly, actual enhancement of antiknock effectiveness of organo U. S. scavengers. Of course, any hydrogen halide liber O lead antiknock compounds by scavengers. ated by the scavenger before the flame but which has not The poly(t-halo) hydrocarbons employed as scavengers reacted with the lead oxide at that time, will still be according to this invention fall into two categories; one available for reaction after burning in the same manne; consists of compounds having 5 to 20 carbon atoms which as is accomplished by the conventional scavengers. it is constitutes the broad class of compounds of my invention, for this reason that the scavengers of the instant inven the other category is the preferred class of my invention tion aire also called double-acting Scavengers. and comprises compounds having from 6 to 10 carbon The scavenger composition of my new antiknock fluid atoms in the molecule. Various non-limiting examples and fuel mixtures can be described in terms of theories of the improved double-acting, uniformly stable scaven of halogen. A theory of halogen is defined as the gers of this invention are as follows: amount of halogen which is necessary to react completely Typical haloalkane scavengers of this invention include with the lead present in the antiknock mixture to convert 2,3-dibromo - 2,3 - dimethylbutane; 2,5 - dichloro - 2,5-