My acetone results

[5EFE]

Are not availible yet! Sorry. In 2 days I will be traveling from S. Oregon to N. Washington, then back a few days later. I will use 92 octane gas, from Shell when possible, adding 2 ounces acetone (half the recommended maximum for my tank) and will also measure results without acetone, all while driving 70mph, DWL. My results will be a little different than usual for sure because I will again have a full interior and 2 passengers and all our luggage. I have read far into this subject, including testimonials from people who say it will destroy your fuel lines/gaskets/fuel pump, etc. I feel it is a risk worth taking, if only for the knowledge. Anyways, I'll post the results when I get back.

[Frank Lee]

I like a little acetone in my breakfast orange juice- puts a little extra spring in my step.

[MetroMPG]

It won't be valid data, but have fun with it anyway.

[5EFE]

Well, due to greatly differing traffic conditions, weather and speeds, the results were inconclusive and I will not post them here. I will try again though, on my daily commute, which is a very consistent A-B-A route.

[Christ]

Have you ever considered asking a chemist what properties acetone has that might affect the function of gasoline in your engine?

Every testimonial about acetone in engines has something to do with either surface tension or atomization, neither of which is a problem in modern vehicles. Why do people still bother with this stuff?

How about calling Shell and asking about the formulation of their fuels... It's got acetone, xylene, toluene, and probably some heptane in it. Not to mention things like MTBEs and probably 200 other aromatics, and now it's even got organic alcohols in it, like ethanol.

[rgathright]

My Dad (dgathright here) is one of those chemists.

I will try to get him to post why this is a bad idea.

[Dangerous Dan]

Acetone in your tank will probably do more harm than good. We use it and Toluene in our laboratory because they are both very good solvents. We have to be careful because it is harmful to breathe too much of the fumes and they attack and degrade paint, plastics, rubber and just about anything else that they encounter. Our glassware is not affect by them, however.

Components like alcohol increase the octane because they add an OH group to the mixture. The "O" is an oxygen molecule that helps to burn the fuel better. This is less expensive than adding higer octane crude components, because it is difficult to make these components, therefore more costly.

I very much doubt that you will find Acetone, Toluene, MTBE or any other unusual component in gasoline. We are not allowed to add these components to the gasoline because they are less expensive and we run tests for these and other contaminants every step of the refining process. Ethanol is the exception and we have to accurately state when it is in the gasoline and the amount that we add is carefully regulated.

I suggest that you look up the MSDS(Material Safety Data Sheet) of anything that you add to your fuel so that you don't endanger your or your family's health.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by http://www.chromatography-online.org/topics/gasoline/components.html

Gasoline is largely a mixture of hydrocarbons, although some may contain significant quantities of ethanol and some may contain small quantities of additives such as tertiarybutylmethyl ether as �anti-knock� agents to increase the octane rating. The hydrocarbons consist of a mixture of n-paraffins, naphthenes, olefins and aromatics. Naphthenes, olefins and aromatics increase the octane rating of the gasoline whereas the n-paraffins have the opposite effect. The aromatics consist mostly of a mixture of benzene, toluene and the xylenes. The benzene content is kept to a minimum (but is not negligible) due to its perceived toxicity. Originally lead tetraethyl was added as an anti-knock agent but is now rarely used and is prohibited in most countries due to its toxicity. Gasoline is usually analyzed by gas chromatography using a capillary column coated with a suitable dispersive stationary phase and is temperature programmed. The composition of a gasoline can vary significantly depending on the source of the crude oil, the method employed for processing and its intended use.

Originally Posted by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Chemical_analysis_and_production

The Material Safety Data Sheet for unleaded gasoline shows at least fifteen hazardous chemicals occurring in various amounts. These include benzene (up to 5% by volume), toluene (up to 35% by volume), naphthalene (up to 1% by volume), trimethylbenzene (up to 7% by volume), MTBE (up to 18% by volume, in some states) and about ten others. Reference:^ Material safety data sheet Tesoro Petroleum Companies, Inc., U.S., 8 February 2003

Originally Posted by http://dhs.wi.gov/eh/ChemFS/fs/Gasoline.htm

DO STANDARDS EXIST FOR REGULATING GASOLINE?

Water: Although no standard exists for gasoline in drinking water, there are standards for some of the chemicals that make up gasoline’s mixture. The standard for benzene (2% of the gasoline mixture) is 5 parts per billion (ppb), ethyl benzene is 700 ppb, toluene is 1.0 part per million (ppm), and xylene is 10 ppm. We suggest you stop drinking or cooking with water containing any chemical above the standard, if you can smell a gasoline odor or see a oily sheen. If the chemicals occur at very high levels in your drinking water, you should avoid washing, bathing or using the water for other purposes.

Wanna tell me again that gasoline doesn't contain those chemicals?

[Dangerous Dan]

The purpose, as I understand it, of Ecomodder is to increase fuel efficiency in our vehicles. Any of the compounds that we were discussing, other than the stated ones in your gasoline, in the ppm or ppb range are not going to significantly affect the miles per gallon of your vehicle.

In our area, we are not allowed to have even 1 ppm of MTBE, mostly due to the contamination of ground water than can occur. For awhile we were producing and even selling MTBE. That portion of our plant was shut down and dismantled when the studies of the harmful effects of MTBE came out.

I seem to have offended you and I am sorry if you feel offended. My purpose was to inform and possibly warn you and others about the components in gasoline that are dangerous.

The Acetone that you were adding and the Propane, Butanes and Pentanes in the gasoline are components that can flash at room temperatures and will float in the air, when given the chance.

[Old Tele man]

...well, I can attest to acetone's ability to dissolve rubber gaskets in carburetors!

...back during the first OPEC embargo (1970's), put 1 pint of acetone in 12 gallons of gasoline and within 15 minutes the engine started coughing and died. Black streaks (like women's mascara in the rain) down the sides of the float bowl clued me. Pulled the top of the 2BBL carburetor (Ford Pinto 1.6 FOB) and the whole float bowl was BLACK with dissolved gasket materials.

...called the Ford dealership (my father-in-law was a mechanic there) and learned that acetone and rubber (and some cheap neoprenes) do NOT "play nice" together.

...never wanted to repeat that "experiment" again. But, you're welcomed to "learn for yourself"! Maybe today's gasket materials are impervious to acetone (?!?) but with todays fuel injection, instead of carburetors, it's gonna co$t a lot more to undo any disasterous learning lesson(s).