The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-03-17
BOILING POINT is.
GASOLINE STANDARD
Appearance, 0dor, or Weight
Have No Essential
Significance.
BY c. ROYCE HoUGH.
Washington Marnen Distribute

Warrington MarmOn Distr1puteF'
The careful motorist is just an anx-
ious to buy the best gasolene. for his
car as he is to see that he has the
proper pressure in his tires. But
most motorists probably have used
some so-calIed "high test" or az grav-
Ity" or some other gasolene with
fancy name without obtaining any I'M
provement either in easy starting,
economy, or freedom from carbon.
The result Is many have concluded all
gasolenes are about equally good-or
bad.
There is no question but that some
grades OF gasolene are superior to
others, but none of the common prop
critics of appearance, odor or even
weight are conclusive tests OF merit
When gasolene was OF uniform grace
the weights OF equal units Of volume
represented q fairly accurate check on
relative qualities. Thus IL degree"
gravity" or "test" simply represents
q certain relative weight or density,
while 60 degree" Is somewhat heaV-
Ter.
The fact is that buying gasolene by
the gravity test alone is hardly any
better as an Indication of gasolene
quality than buying coal by its weight
a cubic foot would be q test OF the
coal. A go degree" gasolene which
might be either a pure, equal distilla-
tion, excellent for motor car fuel, or
II might be q combination Of so de-
gree gasolene with 40 degree kerosene
in equal parts by weight.
The real test Is to determine the
lowest temperature at which the
fluid will boil, the percentage that
boils away at different temperatures
as the heat increases, and finally, the
temperature at which the fluid is all
boiled away. A gasolene that bells
at from 100 degrees (FahrenheitJ TO
100 degrees, and boils away entirely
at from $50 to 375 degrees, makes an
excellent motor car fuel.
Eight or ten years ago gasolene
was hardly more than q refiner's by
product, and the gasolene distilled
averaged about 20 per cent Of the
crude petroleum, The increased use
OF automobiles forced the refnerS to
obtain the largest possible percent
age of gasolene from the petroleum,
nearly 1880, 000, 900 gallons Of Easo-
Iene being consumed annually in the
United States for pleasure cars alone.
II gasolene produced were only 20
per cent Of the petroleum. $3.50, 900 900
gallons OF crude oil would be needed
to produce the gasolene for these con-
sumers only.
Heat the Real Test.
To understand how the increased
percentage Of gasolene has been OBJ
tanned, II is necessary to remember
that crude oil Is a mixture of a large
number of chemical compounds Of
carbon and hydrogen. In most Of
these compounds hydrogen forms q
large part, and they are gaseous. vola-
tile fluids that boil at low temDera-
lures. By applying a gradually in
creasing heat these vapors come of
successively, and, being condensed,
give the various grades of fluids,
from the lightest 20 the heaviest. This
so-called fractional distillation is &C
complished by steam distillation, or
by combined steam and fire distilla-
ton, and produces a uniformly high
quality, but relatively small quantity
Of gasolene. Fire distillation, how
ever, breaks UP the heavier hydro
carbon compounds into more volatile
constituents, yielding a larger per-
centage OF gasolene.
Designers of high-grade motor cars
have provided many features to pro-
duce economical running, for the car
itself has an important bearing on
the gasolene problem, As for the
gasolene itself, IL the motorist can.
he should obtain the information on
the boiling range, and then by obssr-
walton should determine whether in
creased efficiency in the fancy grades
makes them economical to buy.