Tetraethyl lead
Tetraethyl lead, tetraethyl lead or tetraethyl lead is an alkylated product of lead, represented by the formula 4Pb. It is synthesized by the reaction of chloroethane and lead sodium alloy. It is easy to volatilize with a colorless liquid with a peculiar smell. It is unstable in the sun and gradually decomposes, and it becomes cloudy. It has flammability and is corrosive to metals. It is easily absorbed from the vapors and the skin and causes strong neurotoxicity. It was developed as an anti-knocking agent to prevent engine knocking by Thomas Miesley, who was working with Charles Kettering in the US in 1921. It was later added to gasoline for a long time, but it became clear that toxic and toxic lead was accumulating in the human body and the environment, and in the 1980s it was replaced by unleaded gasoline.