Showing results for "tetraethyl lead"

• a variation of tetraethyllead.

tetraethyl lead

British  

/ ˌtɛtrəˈiːθaɪl lɛd /

noun

1. Systematic name: lead tetraethyl. a colourless oily insoluble liquid used in petrol to prevent knocking. Formula: Pb(C 2 H 5 ) 4

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tetraethyl lead Scientific  

/ tĕt′rə-ĕth′əl /

1. A colorless, poisonous, oily liquid, formerly in wide use as an antiknock agent in gasoline for internal-combustion engines. Chemical formula: C ₈ H ₂₀ Pb.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tetraethyl lead

In 1921, General Motors engineers discovered that tetraethyl lead could make internal combustion engines run more smoothly and reduce engine knock.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2021

Similarly, several decades later, the introduction of tetraethyl lead into gasoline raised environmental concerns, but was tolerated as a necessary lubricant for the adoption of the internal combustion engine.

From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2018

As Americans took to the road during the postwar boom in car travel, the amount of tetraethyl lead in the nation’s air and soil rapidly increased.

From Time ● Jun. 28, 2016

GM marketers would later call lead “a gift from God,” and tetraethyl lead would be used for the next 50 years in American gasoline—despite early concerns.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2015

On the other hand, lead was easy to extract and work, and almost embarrassingly profitable to produce industrially–and tetraethyl lead did indubitably stop engines from knocking.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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