7/9/2012 - Synthesis of Tetraethyllead Pt. II

In the year of 1922 two chemists working with General Motors Corportation Thomas Midgley and T.A. Boyd discovered an additive to gasoline that would prevent engine knocking, meaning uncontrollable combustion.  This additive was Tetraethyllead, an organometallic discovered back in Germany in 1854 but not utilized until this point.  This great discovery 'lead' to the creation of new gasoline solutions which have since phased out due to the high toxicity of lead in the exhaust fumes.  The synthesis of Pb(C₂H₅)₄ is performed through the following reaction of a sodium lead alloy with chloroethane:

4NaPb + 4CH₃CH₂Cl → (CH₃CH₂)₄Pb + 4NaCl + 3Pb

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