The Rise and Fall of Organometallic Additives in Automotive Gasoline

Refiners have used numerous gasoline additives since the 1920s to increase automotive performance and correct deficiencies. The history of organometallic additives, in particular lead-, manganese- and iron-containing compounds is discussed. Some of these additives can be helpful to environmental investigators for fingerprinting and age-dating leaded-gasoline releases. Knowing their history, investigators can decipher these releases more efficiently.