Tetraethyl Lead Case History Summary
The Poison that Won WWII
Compiled by Kimble D. McCutcheon
Published 14 Dec 2023
| Throughout WWII, U.S. Military planners were faced with producing huge quantities of aviation gasoline that could be used by high-powered aircraft engines. The addition of tetraethyl lead and/or xylidine, antiknock agents each with advantages and disadvantages, was a tool available to the fuel specification designers. This is the story of tetraethyl lead, Pb (C2H5) 4, which is an antiknock compound that, when blended with ethylene dibromide, C2H4Br2 was added to all Army and Navy flight fuel grades in varying quantity, depending on the grade. This study is concerned with the amounts of tetraethyl lead used to increase quantity and improve quality of aviation gasoline during World War II. (March 1946). This report was released during July 1945. |
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