Tetraethyllead
Organolead compound / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Names | |
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Preferred IUPAC name
Tetraethylplumbane | |
Other names
Lead tetraethyl Tetraethyl lead | |
Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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Abbreviations | TEL |
3903146 | |
ChEBI | |
ChemSpider |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.979 |
EC Number |
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68951 | |
MeSH | Tetraethyl+lead |
PubChem CID |
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RTECS number |
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UNII | |
UN number | 1649 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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Properties | |
C8H20Pb | |
Molar mass | 323.4 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | Colorless liquid |
Odor | pleasant, sweet[1] |
Density | 1.653 g cm−3 |
Melting point | −136 °C (−213 °F; 137 K) |
Boiling point | 84 to 85 °C (183 to 185 °F; 357 to 358 K) 15 mmHg |
200 parts per billion (ppb) (20 °C)[1] | |
Vapor pressure | 0.2 mmHg (20 °C)[1] |
Refractive index (nD) |
1.5198 |
Structure | |
Tetrahedral | |
0 D | |
Hazards | |
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards |
Flammable, extremely toxic |
GHS labelling: | |
H300+H310+H330, H360, H373, H410 | |
P201, P202, P260, P262, P264, P270, P271, P273, P280, P281, P284, P301+P310, P302+P350, P304+P340, P308+P313, P310, P314, P320, P321, P322, P330, P361, P363, P391, P403+P233, P405, P501 | |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Flash point | 73 °C (163 °F; 346 K) |
Explosive limits | 1.8%–?[1] |
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
35 mg/kg (rat, oral) 17 mg/kg (rat, oral) 12.3 mg/kg (rat, oral)[2] |
LDLo (lowest published) |
30 mg/kg (rabbit, oral) 24 mg/kg (rat, oral)[2] |
LC50 (median concentration) |
850 mg/m3 (rat, 1 hr)[2] |
LCLo (lowest published) |
650 mg/m3 (mouse, 7 hr)[2] |
NIOSH (US health exposure limits): | |
PEL (Permissible) |
TWA 0.075 mg/m3 [skin][1] |
REL (Recommended) |
TWA 0.075 mg/m3 [skin][1] |
IDLH (Immediate danger) |
40 mg/m3 (as Pb)[1] |
Related compounds | |
Related compounds |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Tetraethyllead (commonly styled tetraethyl lead), abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula Pb(C2H5)4. It is a fuel additive, first being mixed with gasoline beginning in the 1920s as a patented octane rating booster that allowed engine compression to be raised substantially. This in turn increased vehicle performance and fuel economy.[3][4] TEL was first synthesised by German chemist Carl Jacob Löwig in 1853. American chemical engineer Thomas Midgley Jr., who was working for General Motors, was the first to discover its effectiveness as an antiknock agent in 1921, after spending several years attempting to find an additive that was both highly effective and inexpensive.
Concerns were later raised over the toxic effects of lead, especially on children.[5] On cars not designed to operate on leaded gasoline, lead and lead oxides coat the catalyst in catalytic converters, rendering them ineffective, and can sometimes foul spark plugs.[6] Starting in the 1970s, many countries began phasing out TEL in automotive fuel. In 2011 a study, backed by the United Nations, estimated that the removal of TEL had resulted in $2.4 trillion in annual benefits, and 1.2 million fewer premature deaths.[7]
TEL is still used as an additive in some grades of aviation fuel. Innospec has claimed to be the last firm legally making TEL but, as of 2013[update], TEL was being produced illegally by several companies in China.[8] In July 2021, the sale of leaded gasoline for cars was completely phased out worldwide, prompting the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to declare an "official end" of its use in cars on August 30, 2021.[9]