The present invention provides a method for determining the authenticity of a petroleum hydrocarbon allegedly comprising at least one specific chemical marker, as well as a method for determining adulteration of a petroleum hydrocarbon marked with at least one specific chemical marker. The methods claimed and described herein rely upon the use of specific chemical markers in combination with laser ionization at a wavelength of between about 300 nm and about 370 nm coupled with ion mobility spectrometry or with mass spectrometry.

A synthetic fuel is provided. The synthetic fuel includes a base fuel having a first energy density and a compound, the compound including a water absorbing agent for absorbing water from the base fuel to prevent poor combustion and an explosive agent having a detonative energy value that is sufficient so as to provide the compound with a second energy density equal to or greater than the first energy density.

Unleaded aviation gasoline. An aviation gasoline fuel blend includes an unleaded aviation gasoline base fuel, with an effective amount of selected alkyl benzenes to improve the functional engine performance to avoid harmful detonation sufficient to meet or exceed selected standards for detonation performance requirements in full scale aircraft piston spark ignition engines designed for use with Grade 100LL avgas. Suitable alkylated benzenes may include a mixture of xylene isomers. Aromatic amines, such as m-toluidine, may also be added to increase MON. Base fuels may be a high quality aviation alkylate, or may be a commercial iso-octane, or a mixture of high quality aviation alkylate enhanced by iso-octane, or by commercial iso-octane mixtures, and may include iso-pentane or butane or both iso-pentane and butane in sufficient quantity to provide appropriate vapor pressure for the final fuel blend.

Unleaded aviation gasoline. An aviation gasoline fuel blend includes an unleaded aviation gasoline base fuel, with an effective amount of selected alkyl benzenes to improve the functional engine performance to avoid harmful detonation sufficient to meet or exceed selected standards for detonation performance requirements in full scale aircraft piston spark ignition engines designed for use with Grade 100LL avgas. Suitable alkylated benzenes may include a mixture of xylene isomers. Aromatic amines, such as m-toluidine, may also be added to increase MON. Base fuels may be a high quality aviation alkylate, or may be a commercial iso-octane, or a mixture of high quality aviation alkylate enhanced by iso-octane, or by commercial iso-octane mixtures, and may include iso-pentane or butane or both iso-pentane and butane in sufficient quantity to provide appropriate vapor pressure for the final fuel blend.

Provided is a gasoline product containing a combustion improver, and a method for preparing the gasoline product. The combustion improver is added to gasoline to reduce an octane number and thus an ignition point of the gasoline, so that the gasoline product can be used in a compression ignition internal combustion engine. The combustion improver-containing gasoline product is a low-octane number gasoline, and is capable of being ignited through compression by an internal combustion engine having a compression ratio in the range from 12 to 22.

Aviation fuel formulations receive many benefits when a manganese-containing additive is incorporated in that composition. However, to the extent that the use of a manganese-containing compound may result in the formation of engine deposits during combustion, it is beneficial to further provide a scavenger compound to the fuel composition. This scavenger compound may include a phosphorus-containing compound, an organobromide compounds, and/or a tricarbonyl compound.

A quaternary ammonium salt of formula wherein each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 is independently selected from an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl or aryl group having less than 8 carbon atoms and R.sup.5 is hydrogen or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group.

##STR00001##

A compound represented by the formula:

##STR00001## wherein each R is independently selected from the group consisting of (i) substituted or unsubstituted alkyl with C=0 to 12 inclusive; wherein X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3 and X.sup.4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl groups and hydrogen; wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl groups and hydrogen; and wherein one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 and one of R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 may optionally be bridged by a polymethylene group to form a cycloalkyl; wherein when C=0 in R, the combined group R.sup.1 R.sup.2 is the same as the combined group R.sup.3 R.sup.4; and wherein when C=1 in R, each of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are hydrogen.

A method of making antidegradant compounds is disclosed, in which a p-phenylenediamine is reacted with an alpha-hydroxy carbonyl compound to thereby obtain an enediamine, which is reduced to thereby obtain a mixture comprising the antidegradant compound.

Methods of making antidegradant compounds are disclosed in which a p-phenylenediamine is reacted with a dicarbonyl to thereby obtain a diimine, which is reduced to obtain mixtures comprising the antidegradant compound.