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

She noted that the fuel and vehicle industries' rush to adopt tetraethyl lead, despite its grave public health implications, led to tremendous damage.

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

CREDIT: Thester11/Creative Commons Advertisement for leaded gasoline, 20th century In the 1920s, engineers at General Motors figured out that adding tetraethyl lead to gasoline boosted its octane rating and allowed them to develop better engines.

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