Comparison of Automotive Gasolines Using Capillary Gas Chromatography I: Comparison Methodology

Capillary gas chromatography was usd to compare the relative concentrations of hydrocarbons in a variety of gasoline samples. It was found that most of the discriminating information is contained in the fraction with a volatility ranging from approximately n-pentane to n-octane. Using the described comparison method, all gasoline samples collected at random were easily distinguished. Gasolines with identical histories (from the same distributor and same lot), once added to a gasoline station residual, were also distinguishable, although not as readily as those samples obtained at random.