The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 20, 1980
Filed:
Mar. 20, 1979
Jeffrey C Buchholz, Royal Oak, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
In the preferred embodiment, an electrochemical method of detecting the presence of tetraalkyl lead (or other organometallic antiknock additive) in an automotive gasoline sample comprises contacting the gasoline with an immiscible methanol solution containing KOH, which solution is the electrolyte of an electrochemical cell. The cell includes a stainless steel anode and a zinc cathode. Tetraalkyl lead is extracted from the sample into the methanol solution and metallic lead is deposited onto the zinc cathode. Thus, the lead deposit is evidence of the presence of tetraalkyl lead in the gasoline. The method is preferably adapted to be carried out on board a vehicle to monitor the fuel used therein. Devices are presented which are adapted to be incorporated into the fuel tank or fuel line of a vehicle for detecting tetraalkyl lead by this method. In one embodiment, the detection device features a cathode comprising two closely spaced zinc surfaces. A predetermined amount of lead forms a continuous deposit between the zinc surfaces, which deposit is readily detected by a decrease in the electrical resistance between the zinc surfaces.