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138-470: A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device which converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction . Catalytic converters are usually used with internal combustion engines fueled by gasoline or diesel , including lean-burn engines, and sometimes on kerosene heaters and stoves. The first widespread introduction of catalytic converters

276-583: A cascade method, Swiss chemist and physicist Raoul Pierre Pictet evaporated liquid sulfur dioxide in order to liquefy carbon dioxide, which in turn was evaporated to cool oxygen gas enough to liquefy it. He sent a telegram on December 22, 1877, to the French Academy of Sciences in Paris announcing his discovery of liquid oxygen . Just two days later, French physicist Louis Paul Cailletet announced his own method of liquefying molecular oxygen. Only

414-585: A computerized closed-loop feedback fuel injection system using one or more oxygen sensors (also known as Lambda Sonds or sensors). Other variants combined three-way converters with carburetors equipped with feedback mixture control were used. An unregulated three-way converter features the same chemical processes but without the oxygen sensor, which meant higher NO x emissions, particularly under partial loads. These were low-cost solutions, typically used for retrofitting to older cars or for smaller, cheaper cars. Three-way converters are effective when

552-514: A reagent such as ammonia to reduce the NO x into nitrogen and water. Ammonia is supplied to the catalyst system by the injection of urea into the exhaust, which then undergoes thermal decomposition and hydrolysis into ammonia. The urea solution is also referred to as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Diesel exhaust contains relatively high levels of particulate matter. Catalytic converters remove only 20–40% of PM so particulates are cleaned up by

690-416: A catalytic combustor for gas turbines in the early 1970s, allowing combustion without significant formation of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Four-way catalytic converters have also been developed which also remove particulates from engine exhaust; since most of these particulates are unburned hydrocarbons, they can be burned to convert them into carbon dioxide. The catalytic converter's construction

828-452: A catalytic converter for any reason other than its direct and immediate replacement. Nevertheless, some vehicle owners remove or "gut" the catalytic converter on their vehicle. In such cases, the converter may be replaced by a welded-in section of ordinary pipe or a flanged "test pipe", ostensibly meant to check if the converter is clogged by comparing how the engine runs with and without the converter. This facilitates temporary reinstallation of

966-655: A catalytic converter was patented by Eugene Houdry , a French mechanical engineer. Houdry was an expert in catalytic oil refining, having invented the catalytic cracking process that all modern refining is based on today. Houdry moved to the United States in 1930 to live near the refineries in the Philadelphia area and develop his catalytic refining process. When the results of early studies of smog in Los Angeles were published, Houdry became concerned about

1104-634: A colorless and odorless diatomic gas with the chemical formula O 2 . Dioxygen gas currently constitutes 20.95% molar fraction of the Earth's atmosphere , though this has changed considerably over long periods of time in Earth's history . Oxygen makes up almost half of the Earth's crust in the form of various oxides such as water , carbon dioxide , iron oxides and silicates . All eukaryotic organisms , including plants , animals , fungi , algae and most protists , need oxygen for cellular respiration , which extracts chemical energy by

1242-407: A common housing; however, in some instances, they may be housed separately. A three-way catalytic converter does three simultaneous tasks: Reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen (N 2 ) Oxidation of carbon, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide These three reactions occur most efficiently when the catalytic converter receives exhaust from an engine running slightly above

1380-526: A federal criminal offense. Vehicle emissions control Emissions of many air pollutants have been shown to have variety of negative effects on public health and the natural environment . Emissions that are principal pollutants of concern include: Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, various federal, state and local governments in the United States conducted studies into the numerous sources of air pollution. These studies ultimately attributed

1518-434: A few drops of the liquid were produced in each case and no meaningful analysis could be conducted. Oxygen was liquefied in a stable state for the first time on March 29, 1883, by Polish scientists from Jagiellonian University , Zygmunt Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski . In 1891 Scottish chemist James Dewar was able to produce enough liquid oxygen for study. The first commercially viable process for producing liquid oxygen

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1656-471: A head gasket leak, can also cause high unburned hydrocarbons. Emissions regulations vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Most automobile spark-ignition engines in North America have been fitted with catalytic converters since 1975, and the technology used in non-automotive applications is generally based on automotive technology. In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to remove or disable

1794-481: A light sky-blue color caused by absorption in the red (in contrast with the blue color of the sky, which is due to Rayleigh scattering of blue light). High-purity liquid O 2 is usually obtained by the fractional distillation of liquefied air. Liquid oxygen may also be condensed from air using liquid nitrogen as a coolant. Liquid oxygen is a highly reactive substance and must be segregated from combustible materials. The spectroscopy of molecular oxygen

1932-494: A limit of phosphorus concentration in engine oils was adopted in the API SM and ILSAC GF-4 specifications. Depending on the contaminant, catalyst poisoning can sometimes be reversed by running the engine under a very heavy load for an extended period of time. The increased exhaust temperature can sometimes vaporize or sublimate the contaminant, removing it from the catalytic surface. However, removal of lead deposits in this manner

2070-564: A major role in absorbing energy from singlet oxygen and converting it to the unexcited ground state before it can cause harm to tissues. The common allotrope of elemental oxygen on Earth is called dioxygen , O 2 , the major part of the Earth's atmospheric oxygen (see Occurrence ). O 2 has a bond length of 121  pm and a bond energy of 498  kJ/mol . O 2 is used by complex forms of life, such as animals, in cellular respiration . Other aspects of O 2 are covered in

2208-438: A part of air that he called spiritus nitroaereus . In one experiment, he found that placing either a mouse or a lit candle in a closed container over water caused the water to rise and replace one-fourteenth of the air's volume before extinguishing the subjects. From this, he surmised that nitroaereus is consumed in both respiration and combustion. Mayow observed that antimony increased in weight when heated, and inferred that

2346-709: A pre-cat, a small catalytic converter upstream of the main catalytic converter which heats up faster on vehicle start up, reducing the emissions associated with cold starts. A pre-cat is most commonly used by an auto manufacturer when trying to attain the Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) rating, such as on the Toyota MR2 Roadster. Catalytic converters have proven to be reliable and effective in reducing noxious tailpipe emissions. However, they also have some shortcomings in use, and also adverse environmental effects in production: Because of

2484-405: A precisely controlled air-fuel mixture that quickly and continually cycles between lean and rich combustion. Oxygen sensors monitor the exhaust oxygen content before and after the catalytic converter, and the engine control unit uses this information to adjust the fuel injection so as to prevent the first ( NO x reduction) catalyst from becoming oxygen-loaded, while simultaneously ensuring

2622-404: A process called eutrophication and the decay of these organisms and other biomaterials may reduce the O 2 content in eutrophic water bodies. Scientists assess this aspect of water quality by measuring the water's biochemical oxygen demand , or the amount of O 2 needed to restore it to a normal concentration. Paleoclimatologists measure the ratio of oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 in

2760-400: A significant portion of air pollution to the automobile, and concluded air pollution is not bounded by local political boundaries. At that time, such minimal emission control regulations as existed in the U.S. were promulgated at the municipal or, occasionally, the state level. The ineffective local regulations were gradually supplanted by more comprehensive state and federal regulations. By 1967

2898-458: A small proportion of manganese dioxide. Oxygen levels in the atmosphere are trending slightly downward globally, possibly because of fossil-fuel burning. At standard temperature and pressure , oxygen is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas with the molecular formula O 2 , referred to as dioxygen. As dioxygen , two oxygen atoms are chemically bound to each other. The bond can be variously described based on level of theory, but

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3036-654: A soot trap or diesel particulate filter (DPF). In the U.S., all on-road light, medium, and heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles built after 1 January 2007, are subject to diesel particulate emission limits, and so are equipped with a 2-way catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter. As long as the engine was manufactured before 1 January 2007, the vehicle is not required to have the DPF system. This led to an inventory runup by engine manufacturers in late 2006 so they could continue selling pre-DPF vehicles well into 2007. For lean-burn spark-ignition engines, an oxidation catalyst

3174-494: A three-way converter. Two-way converters were common until the 1980s, when three-way converters replaced them on most automobile engines. See the catalytic converter article for further details. Evaporative emissions are the result of gasoline vapors escaping from the vehicle's fuel system. Since 1971, all U.S. vehicles have had fully sealed fuel systems that do not vent directly to the atmosphere; mandates for systems of this type appeared contemporaneously in other jurisdictions. In

3312-449: A triplet electronic ground state . An electron configuration with two unpaired electrons, as is found in dioxygen orbitals (see the filled π* orbitals in the diagram) that are of equal energy—i.e., degenerate —is a configuration termed a spin triplet state. Hence, the ground state of the O 2 molecule is referred to as triplet oxygen . The highest-energy, partially filled orbitals are antibonding , and so their filling weakens

3450-499: A typical system, vapors from the fuel tank and carburetor bowl vent (on carbureted vehicles) are ducted to canisters containing activated carbon . The vapors are adsorbed within the canister, and during certain engine operational modes fresh air is drawn through the canister, pulling the vapor into the engine, where it burns. Some US states are also using a technology which uses infrared and ultraviolet light to detect emissions while vehicles pass by on public roads, thus eliminating

3588-532: Is a chemical element with the symbol   O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table , a highly reactive nonmetal , and a potent oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as well as with other compounds . Oxygen is the most abundant element in Earth's crust , and the third-most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen and helium . At standard temperature and pressure , two oxygen atoms will bind covalently to form dioxygen ,

3726-439: Is as follows: Upon failure, a catalytic converter can be recycled into scrap . The precious metals inside the converter, including platinum, palladium, and rhodium, are extracted. Catalytic converters require a temperature of 400 °C (750 °F) to operate effectively. Therefore, they are placed as close to the engine as possible, or one or more smaller catalytic converters (known as "pre-cats") are placed immediately after

3864-513: Is associated with the atmospheric processes of aurora and airglow . The absorption in the Herzberg continuum and Schumann–Runge bands in the ultraviolet produces atomic oxygen that is important in the chemistry of the middle atmosphere. Excited-state singlet molecular oxygen is responsible for red chemiluminescence in solution. Table of thermal and physical properties of oxygen (O 2 ) at atmospheric pressure: Naturally occurring oxygen

4002-472: Is composed of three stable isotopes , O , O , and O , with O being the most abundant (99.762% natural abundance ). Most O is synthesized at the end of the helium fusion process in massive stars but some is made in the neon burning process . O is primarily made by the burning of hydrogen into helium during the CNO cycle , making it a common isotope in the hydrogen burning zones of stars. Most O

4140-630: Is often given for Priestley because his work was published first. Priestley, however, called oxygen "dephlogisticated air", and did not recognize it as a chemical element. The name oxygen was coined in 1777 by Antoine Lavoisier , who first recognized oxygen as a chemical element and correctly characterized the role it plays in combustion. Common industrial uses of oxygen include production of steel , plastics and textiles , brazing, welding and cutting of steels and other metals , rocket propellant , oxygen therapy , and life support systems in aircraft , submarines , spaceflight and diving . One of

4278-462: Is permitted and a rich mixture is commanded to increase power and prevent exhaust gas temperature from exceeding design limits. This presents a challenge for control system and catalyst design. During such operations, large amounts of unburnt HC are produced by the engine, well beyond the capacity of the catalyst to release oxygen. The surface of the catalyst quickly becomes saturated with HC. When returning to lower power output and leaner air–fuel ratios,

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4416-441: Is produced when N (made abundant from CNO burning) captures a He nucleus, making O common in the helium-rich zones of evolved, massive stars . Fifteen radioisotopes have been characterized, ranging from O to O. The most stable are O with a half-life of 122.24 seconds and O with a half-life of 70.606 seconds. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 27 seconds and

4554-408: Is reasonably and simply described as a covalent double bond that results from the filling of molecular orbitals formed from the atomic orbitals of the individual oxygen atoms, the filling of which results in a bond order of two. More specifically, the double bond is the result of sequential, low-to-high energy, or Aufbau , filling of orbitals, and the resulting cancellation of contributions from

4692-459: Is released as a byproduct . Oxygen is too chemically reactive to remain a free element in air without being continuously replenished by the photosynthetic activities of autotrophs such as cyanobacteria , chloroplast -bearing algae and plants. A much rarer triatomic allotrope of oxygen , ozone ( O 3 ), strongly absorbs the UVB and UVC wavelengths and forms a protective ozone layer at

4830-712: Is temperature-dependent, and about twice as much ( 14.6  mg/L ) dissolves at 0 °C than at 20 °C ( 7.6  mg/L ). At 25 °C and 1 standard atmosphere (101.3  kPa ) of air, freshwater can dissolve about 6.04  milliliters  (mL) of oxygen per liter , and seawater contains about 4.95 mL per liter. At 5 °C the solubility increases to 9.0 mL (50% more than at 25 °C) per liter for freshwater and 7.2 mL (45% more) per liter for sea water. Oxygen condenses at 90.20  K (−182.95 °C, −297.31 °F) and freezes at 54.36 K (−218.79 °C, −361.82 °F). Both liquid and solid O 2 are clear substances with

4968-435: Is the result of the oxygen cycle . This biogeochemical cycle describes the movement of oxygen within and between its three main reservoirs on Earth: the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the lithosphere . The main driving factor of the oxygen cycle is photosynthesis , which is responsible for modern Earth's atmosphere. Photosynthesis releases oxygen into the atmosphere, while respiration , decay , and combustion remove it from

5106-463: Is unusual among the planets of the Solar System in having such a high concentration of oxygen gas in its atmosphere: Mars (with 0.1% O 2 by volume) and Venus have much less. The O 2 surrounding those planets is produced solely by the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen-containing molecules such as carbon dioxide. The unusually high concentration of oxygen gas on Earth

5244-407: Is used in the same manner as in a diesel engine. Emissions from lean burn spark ignition engines are very similar to emissions from a diesel compression ignition engine. Many vehicles have a close-coupled catalytic converter located near the engine's exhaust manifold . The converter heats up quickly, due to its exposure to the very hot exhaust gases, allowing it to reduce undesirable emissions during

5382-522: Is usually given priority in the discovery. The French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier later claimed to have discovered the new substance independently. Priestley visited Lavoisier in October 1774 and told him about his experiment and how he liberated the new gas. Scheele had also dispatched a letter to Lavoisier on September 30, 1774, which described his discovery of the previously unknown substance, but Lavoisier never acknowledged receiving it (a copy of

5520-498: Is usually in response to government regulation, either through environmental regulation or through health and safety regulations. Catalytic converter prototypes were first designed in France at the end of the 19th century, when only a few thousand "oil cars" were on the roads; these prototypes had inert clay-based materials coated with platinum , rhodium , and palladium and sealed into a double metallic cylinder. A few decades later,

5658-403: Is usually not possible because of lead's high boiling point. Any condition that causes abnormally high levels of unburned hydrocarbons (raw or partially burnt fuel or oils) to reach the converter will tend to significantly elevate its temperature bringing the risk of a meltdown of the substrate and resultant catalytic deactivation and severe exhaust restriction. These conditions include failure of

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5796-628: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and they are still subject to EU regulations. Emissions tests on diesel cars have not been carried out during MOTs in Northern Ireland for 12 years, despite being legally required. It was very important to system designers to meet the emission requirements using a minimum quantity of catalyst material ( platinum and/or palladium ) due to cost and supply issues. The General Motors "Emissions Control Systems Project Center"

5934-618: The Earth , the Moon , Mars , and meteorites , but were long unable to obtain reference values for the isotope ratios in the Sun , believed to be the same as those of the primordial solar nebula . Analysis of a silicon wafer exposed to the solar wind in space and returned by the crashed Genesis spacecraft has shown that the Sun has a higher proportion of oxygen-16 than does the Earth. The measurement implies that an unknown process depleted oxygen-16 from

6072-615: The European Union and the United Kingdom since January 1, 1993 in order to comply with the Euro 1 emission standards . Faulty catalytic converters as well as undamaged early types of converters can restrict the flow of exhaust, which negatively affects vehicle performance and fuel economy. Modern catalytic converters do not significantly restrict exhaust flow. A 2006 test on a 1999 Honda Civic, for example, showed that removing

6210-565: The Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys) ( acid , literally 'sharp', from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter), because he mistakenly believed that oxygen was a constituent of all acids. Chemists (such as Sir Humphry Davy in 1812) eventually determined that Lavoisier was wrong in this regard, but by then the name was too well established. Oxygen entered the English language despite opposition by English scientists and

6348-480: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's new exhaust emissions regulations, most gasoline-powered vehicles manufactured from 1975 onwards are equipped with catalytic converters. Early catalytic converters were "two-way", combining oxygen with carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC, chemical compounds in fuel of the form C m H n ) to produce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O). These stringent emission control regulations also resulted in

6486-404: The alternator , wiring or fuel lines, with potentially dangerous consequences. In 2023, bipartisan legislation to combat catalytic converter theft was introduced in the U.S. Senate . The Preventing Auto Recycling Thefts Act (PART Act) would mandate catalytic converters in new vehicles to come with traceable identification numbers. Additionally, the legislation would make catalytic converter theft

6624-484: The blood and carbon dioxide out, and the body's circulatory system then transports the oxygen to other tissues where cellular respiration takes place. However in insects , the most successful and biodiverse terrestrial clade , oxygen is directly conducted to the internal tissues via a deep network of airways . Many major classes of organic molecules in living organisms contain oxygen atoms, such as proteins , nucleic acids , carbohydrates and fats , as do

6762-465: The reaction of oxygen with organic molecules derived from food and releases carbon dioxide as a waste product. In aquatic animals , dissolved oxygen in water is absorbed by specialized respiratory organs called gills , through the skin or via the gut ; in terrestrial animals such as tetrapods , oxygen in air is actively taken into the body via specialized organs known as lungs , where gas exchange takes place to diffuse oxygen into

6900-470: The shells and skeletons of marine organisms to determine the climate millions of years ago (see oxygen isotope ratio cycle ). Seawater molecules that contain the lighter isotope , oxygen-16, evaporate at a slightly faster rate than water molecules containing the 12% heavier oxygen-18, and this disparity increases at lower temperatures. During periods of lower global temperatures, snow and rain from that evaporated water tends to be higher in oxygen-16, and

7038-510: The stoichiometric point. For gasoline combustion, this ratio is between 14.6 and 14.8 parts air to one part fuel, by weight. The ratio for autogas (or liquefied petroleum gas LPG), natural gas , and ethanol fuels can vary significantly for each, notably so with oxygenated or alcohol based fuels, with E85 requiring approximately 34% more fuel, requiring modified fuel system tuning and components when using those fuels. Engines fitted with regulated 3-way catalytic converters are equipped with

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7176-430: The thermal decomposition of potassium nitrate . In Bugaj's view, the isolation of oxygen and the proper association of the substance to that part of air which is required for life, provides sufficient evidence for the discovery of oxygen by Sendivogius. This discovery of Sendivogius was however frequently denied by the generations of scientists and chemists which succeeded him. It is also commonly claimed that oxygen

7314-557: The 17th and the 18th century but none of them recognized it as a chemical element . This may have been in part due to the prevalence of the philosophy of combustion and corrosion called the phlogiston theory , which was then the favored explanation of those processes. Established in 1667 by the German alchemist J. J. Becher , and modified by the chemist Georg Ernst Stahl by 1731, phlogiston theory stated that all combustible materials were made of two parts. One part, called phlogiston,

7452-461: The 1979 model year. California vehicles with 2.5, 2.8 and 3.5 liter engines will have a CLCC system. In 1980 model year, vehicles sold in California and 3.8 and 4.3 liter engines sold federally will have CLCC, and finally in the 1981 model year all passenger cars will have the system. California light and medium duty trucks may also use the c-4 system. While 1979 and 1980 systems are very similar,

7590-464: The 1981 model year in the United States, passenger vehicle manufactures were faced with the challenges in its history of meeting new emissions regulations, how to meet the much more restrictive requirements of the Clean Air Act (United States) per the 1977 amendment. For example: to meet this challenge, General Motors created a new "Emissions Control Systems Project Center" (ECS) first located at

7728-664: The 1981 system (2nd generation) will differ in that it may include additional engine control systems (i.e., electronic spark timing, idle speed control, etc.) The Emission Control System under development has been designated C-4.This stands for Computer Controlled Catalytic Converter. The C-4 System encompasses Closed Loop Carburetor Control (CLCC) and Throttle Body Injection (TBI) systems."" Engine efficiency has been steadily improved with improved engine design, more precise ignition timing and electronic ignition , more precise fuel metering , and computerized engine management . Advances in engine and vehicle technology continually reduce

7866-531: The 2s electrons, after sequential filling of the low σ and σ orbitals; σ overlap of the two atomic 2p orbitals that lie along the O–O molecular axis and π overlap of two pairs of atomic 2p orbitals perpendicular to the O–O molecular axis, and then cancellation of contributions from the remaining two 2p electrons after their partial filling of the π orbitals. This combination of cancellations and σ and π overlaps results in dioxygen's double-bond character and reactivity, and

8004-651: The AC Spark Plug Engineering Building in Flint, Michigan. Its purpose was to "Have overall responsibility for the design and development of the carborated and fuel injected closed loop 3-way catalyst system including related electronic controls, fuel metering, spark control, idle speed control, EGR, etc. currently planned through 1981." In 1990, the Clean Air Act (CAA) was amended to help further regulate harmful vehicle emissions. In

8142-536: The American scientist Robert H. Goddard became the first person to develop a rocket engine that burned liquid fuel; the engine used gasoline for fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer . Goddard successfully flew a small liquid-fueled rocket 56 m at 97 km/h on March 16, 1926, in Auburn, Massachusetts , US. In academic laboratories, oxygen can be prepared by heating together potassium chlorate mixed with

8280-505: The EPA. By the 1974 model year, the United States emission standards had tightened such that the de-tuning techniques used to meet them were seriously reducing engine efficiency and thus increasing fuel usage. The new emission standards for 1975 model year, as well as the increase in fuel usage, forced the invention of the catalytic converter for after-treatment of the exhaust gas. This was not possible with existing leaded gasoline , because

8418-606: The EU forms the policy (by setting limits such as the European emission standard ) and the member states decide how to best implement it in their own country. In the United Kingdom, matters concerning environmental policy are "devolved powers" so that some of the constituent countries deal with it separately through their own government bodies set up to deal with environmental issues: However, many UK-wide policies are handled by

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8556-484: The Philosopher's Stone drawn from the source of nature and manual experience"] (1604) described a substance contained in air, referring to it as 'cibus vitae' (food of life, ) and according to Polish historian Roman Bugaj, this substance is identical with oxygen. Sendivogius, during his experiments performed between 1598 and 1604, properly recognized that the substance is equivalent to the gaseous byproduct released by

8694-685: The State of California created the California Air Resources Board , and in 1970, the federal United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established. Both agencies, as well as other state agencies, now create and enforce emission regulations for automobiles in the United States. Similar agencies and regulations were contemporaneously developed and implemented in Canada , Western Europe , Australia , and Japan . The first effort at controlling pollution from automobiles

8832-633: The State of California, emissions in California are regulated by the Air Resources Board . In Texas, the Texas Railroad Commission is responsible for regulating emissions from LPG -fueled rich burn engines (but not gasoline-fueled rich burn engines). The European Union has control over regulation of emissions in EU member states; however, many member states have their own government bodies to enforce and implement these regulations in their respective countries. In short,

8970-438: The Sun's disk of protoplanetary material prior to the coalescence of dust grains that formed the Earth. Oxygen presents two spectrophotometric absorption bands peaking at the wavelengths 687 and 760  nm . Some remote sensing scientists have proposed using the measurement of the radiance coming from vegetation canopies in those bands to characterize plant health status from a satellite platform. This approach exploits

9108-451: The U.S. added catalytic systems to their vehicles to meet federal emissions requirements. Two techniques have been developed for the catalytic reduction of NO x emissions under lean exhaust conditions, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and the NO x adsorber . Instead of precious metal-containing NO x absorbers, most manufacturers selected base-metal SCR systems that use

9246-580: The U.S. were so equipped, and PCV quickly became standard equipment on all vehicles worldwide. The first legislated exhaust (tailpipe) emission standards were promulgated by the State of California for 1966 model year for cars sold in that state, followed by the United States as a whole in model year 1968. Also in 1966, the first emission test cycle was enacted in the State of California measuring tailpipe emissions in PPM (parts per million). The standards were progressively tightened year by year, as mandated by

9384-457: The air pump, which led to the development of the three-way catalytic converter. The two-way catalytic converter also continued to be used on certain, lower-cost cars in some markets such as Europe, where NO x emissions were not universally regulated until the introduction of the Euro 3 emissions standard in 2000. The three-way catalytic converters have the additional advantage of controlling

9522-401: The air/fuel charge to reduce peak combustion chamber temperatures. This, in turn, reduces the formation of NO x . The catalytic converter is a device placed in the exhaust pipe, which converts hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and NO x into less harmful gases by using a combination of platinum, palladium and rhodium as catalysts . There are two types of catalytic converter, a two-way and

9660-458: The air–fuel mixture is brought back to slightly rich, at a small penalty in CO and HC oxidation efficiency, and the cycle repeats. Efficiency is improved when this oscillation around the stoichiometric point is small and carefully controlled. Closed-loop control under light to moderate load is accomplished by using one or more oxygen sensors in the exhaust system. When oxygen is detected by the sensor,

9798-406: The air–fuel ratio is lean of stoichiometric, and when oxygen is not detected, it is rich. The control system adjusts the rate of fuel being injected into the engine based on this signal to keep the air–fuel ratio near the stoichiometric point in order to maximize the catalyst conversion efficiency. The control algorithm is also affected by the time delay between the adjustment of the fuel flow rate and

9936-452: The amendment, vehicle fuel regulations became more stringent by limiting how much sulfur was allowed in diesel fuel. The amendments also required a procedural change for the creation of gasoline to ensure there are less emissions of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO X ), particulate matter (PM), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Changes made to the CAA also required

10074-493: The atmosphere. In the present equilibrium, production and consumption occur at the same rate. Free oxygen also occurs in solution in the world's water bodies. The increased solubility of O 2 at lower temperatures (see Physical properties ) has important implications for ocean life, as polar oceans support a much higher density of life due to their higher oxygen content. Water polluted with plant nutrients such as nitrates or phosphates may stimulate growth of algae by

10212-412: The bond order from three to two. Because of its unpaired electrons, triplet oxygen reacts only slowly with most organic molecules, which have paired electron spins; this prevents spontaneous combustion. In the triplet form, O 2 molecules are paramagnetic . That is, they impart magnetic character to oxygen when it is in the presence of a magnetic field, because of the spin magnetic moments of

10350-466: The car. Vehicles fitted with catalytic converters emit most of their total pollution during the first five minutes of engine operation; for example, before the catalytic converter has warmed up sufficiently to be fully effective. In the early 2000s it became common to place the catalyst converter right next to the exhaust manifold, close to the engine, for much quicker warm-up. In 1995, Alpina introduced an electrically heated catalyst. Called "E-KAT", it

10488-479: The catalyst at reducing NO x is good, and the production of NO x by the engine decreases. To maintain catalyst efficiency, the air–fuel ratio must stay close to stoichiometric and not remain rich or lean for too long. Closed-loop engine control systems are used for effective operation of three-way catalytic converters because of this continuous rich-lean balance required for effective NO x reduction and HC+CO oxidation. The control system allows

10626-412: The catalyst to release oxygen during slightly rich operating conditions, which oxidizes CO and HC under conditions that also favor the reduction of NOx. Before the stored oxygen is depleted, the control system shifts the air–fuel ratio to become slightly lean, improving HC and CO oxidation while storing additional oxygen in the catalyst material, at a small penalty in NO x reduction efficiency. Then

10764-523: The control system must prevent excessive oxygen from reaching the catalyst too quickly, as this will rapidly burn the HC in the already hot catalyst, potentially exceeding the design temperature limit of the catalyst. Excessive catalyst temperature can prematurely age the catalyst, reducing its efficiency before reaching its design lifetime. Excessive catalyst temperature can also be caused by cylinder misfire, which continuously flows unburnt HC combined with oxygen to

10902-409: The conversion of HC and CO is very efficient due to the available oxygen, oxidizing to H 2 O and CO 2 . Slightly rich of stoichiometric, the production of CO and unburnt HC by the engine starts to increase dramatically, available oxygen decreases, and the efficiency of the catalyst for oxidizing CO and HC decreases significantly, especially as stored oxygen becomes depleted. However, the efficiency of

11040-847: The converter in order to pass an emission test. In the United States, it is a violation of Section 203(a)(3)(A) of the 1990 amended Clean Air Act for a vehicle repair shop to remove a converter from a vehicle, or cause a converter to be removed from a vehicle, except in order to replace it with another converter, and Section 203(a)(3)(B) makes it illegal for any person to sell or to install any part that would bypass, defeat, or render inoperative any emission control system, device, or design element. Vehicles without functioning catalytic converters generally fail emission inspections. The automotive aftermarket supplies high-flow converters for vehicles with upgraded engines, or whose owners prefer an exhaust system with larger-than-stock capacity.xxx Catalytic converters have been mandatory on all new gasoline cars sold in

11178-502: The converter supports combustion in the exhaust headpipe, which speeds catalyst warmup and reduces the amount of unburned hydrocarbon emitted from the tailpipe. In the United States and Canada, many engines in 1973 and newer vehicles (1972 and newer in California) have a system that routes a metered amount of exhaust into the intake tract under particular operating conditions. Exhaust neither burns nor supports combustion, so it dilutes

11316-444: The diatomic elemental molecules in those gases. The first commercial method of producing oxygen was chemical, the so-called Brin process involving a reversible reaction of barium oxide . It was invented in 1852 and commercialized in 1884, but was displaced by newer methods in early 20th century. By the late 19th century scientists realized that air could be liquefied and its components isolated by compressing and cooling it. Using

11454-437: The effects of auto emissions on public health and the environment. Exhaust emissions can be reduced by making use of clean vehicle propulsion. The most popular modes include hybrid and electric vehicles . As of December 2020 , China had the world's largest stock of highway legal plug-in electric passenger cars with 4.5 million units, representing 42% of the world's stock of plug-in cars. Oxygen Oxygen

11592-466: The electron spins are paired. It is much more reactive with common organic molecules than is normal (triplet) molecular oxygen. In nature, singlet oxygen is commonly formed from water during photosynthesis, using the energy of sunlight. It is also produced in the troposphere by the photolysis of ozone by light of short wavelength and by the immune system as a source of active oxygen. Carotenoids in photosynthetic organisms (and possibly animals) play

11730-604: The emission of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) (both together abbreviated with NO x and not to be confused with nitrous oxide (N 2 O) ). NO x are precursors to acid rain and smog . Since 1981, the three-way (oxidation-reduction) catalytic converters have been used in vehicle emission control systems in the United States and Canada; many other countries have also adopted stringent vehicle emission regulations that in effect require three-way converters on gasoline-powered vehicles. The reduction and oxidation catalysts are typically contained in

11868-426: The engine is operated within a narrow band of air–fuel ratios near the stoichiometric point. Total conversion efficiency falls very rapidly when the engine is operated outside of this band. Slightly lean of stoichiometric, the exhaust gases from the engine contain excess oxygen, the production of NO x by the engine increases, and the efficiency of the catalyst at reducing NO x falls off rapidly. However,

12006-432: The engine warm-up period. This is achieved by burning off the excess hydrocarbons which result from the extra-rich mixture required for a cold start. When catalytic converters were first introduced, most vehicles used carburetors that provided a relatively rich air-fuel ratio . Oxygen (O 2 ) levels in the exhaust stream were therefore generally insufficient for the catalytic reaction to occur efficiently. Most designs of

12144-527: The exhaust manifold. A 2-way (or "oxidation", sometimes called an "oxi-cat") catalytic converter has two simultaneous tasks: The two-way catalytic converter is widely used on diesel engines to reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. They were also used on gasoline engines in American and Canadian automobile markets until 1981. Because of their inability to control oxides of nitrogen , manufacturers briefly installed twin catalyst systems, with an NO x reducing, rhodium/platinum catalyst ahead of

12282-430: The exhaust would finish burning. Air injection is now used to support the catalytic converter 's oxidation reaction, and to reduce emissions when an engine is started from cold. After a cold start, an engine needs an air-fuel mixture richer than what it needs at operating temperature , and the catalytic converter does not function efficiently until it has reached its own operating temperature. The air injected upstream of

12420-533: The external location and the use of valuable precious metals including platinum , palladium and rhodium , catalytic converters are a target for thieves. The problem is especially common among late-model pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs , because of their high ground clearance and easily removed bolt-on catalytic converters. Welded-on converters are also at risk of theft, as they can be easily cut off. The Toyota Prius catalytic converters are also targets for thieves. The catalytic converters of hybrids need more of

12558-572: The fact that the Englishman Priestley had first isolated the gas and written about it. This is partly due to a poem praising the gas titled "Oxygen" in the popular book The Botanic Garden (1791) by Erasmus Darwin , grandfather of Charles Darwin . John Dalton 's original atomic hypothesis presumed that all elements were monatomic and that the atoms in compounds would normally have the simplest atomic ratios with respect to one another. For example, Dalton assumed that water's formula

12696-399: The first known experiments on the relationship between combustion and air was conducted by the 2nd century BCE Greek writer on mechanics, Philo of Byzantium . In his work Pneumatica , Philo observed that inverting a vessel over a burning candle and surrounding the vessel's neck with water resulted in some water rising into the neck. Philo incorrectly surmised that parts of the air in

12834-417: The gasoline additive MMT ), and silicon , which can enter the exhaust stream if the engine has a leak that allows coolant into the combustion chamber. Phosphorus is another catalyst contaminant. Although phosphorus is no longer used in gasoline, it (and zinc , another low-level catalyst contaminant) was widely used in engine oil antiwear additives such as zinc dithiophosphate (ZDDP). Beginning in 2004,

12972-414: The hot catalyst, burning in the catalyst and increasing its temperature. Unwanted reactions result in the formation of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia , which poison catalysts. Nickel or manganese is sometimes added to the washcoat to limit hydrogen-sulfide emissions. Sulfur-free or low-sulfur fuels eliminate or minimize problems with hydrogen sulfide. For compression-ignition (i.e., diesel ) engines,

13110-399: The idea; instead, it was based on observations of what happens when something burns, that most common objects appear to become lighter and seem to lose something in the process. Polish alchemist , philosopher , and physician Michael Sendivogius (Michał Sędziwój) in his work De Lapide Philosophorum Tractatus duodecim e naturae fonte et manuali experientia depromti ["Twelve Treatises on

13248-532: The lead residue contaminated the platinum catalyst. In 1972, General Motors proposed to the American Petroleum Institute the elimination of leaded fuels for 1975 and later model year cars. The production and distribution of unleaded fuel was a major challenge, but it was completed successfully in time for the 1975 model year cars. All modern cars are now equipped with catalytic converters to further reduce vehicle emissions. Leading up to

13386-504: The letter was found in Scheele's belongings after his death). Lavoisier conducted the first adequate quantitative experiments on oxidation and gave the first correct explanation of how combustion works. He used these and similar experiments, all started in 1774, to discredit the phlogiston theory and to prove that the substance discovered by Priestley and Scheele was a chemical element . In one experiment, Lavoisier observed that there

13524-562: The lower stratosphere , which shields the biosphere from ionizing ultraviolet radiation . However, ozone present at the surface is a corrosive byproduct of smog and thus an air pollutant . Oxygen was isolated by Michael Sendivogius before 1604, but it is commonly believed that the element was discovered independently by Carl Wilhelm Scheele , in Uppsala , in 1773 or earlier, and Joseph Priestley in Wiltshire , in 1774. Priority

13662-423: The major constituent inorganic compounds of animal shells, teeth, and bone. Most of the mass of living organisms is oxygen as a component of water, the major constituent of lifeforms. Oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is produced by biotic photosynthesis , in which photon energy in sunlight is captured by chlorophyll to split water molecules and then react with carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates and oxygen

13800-428: The majority of these have half-lives that are less than 83 milliseconds. The most common decay mode of the isotopes lighter than O is β decay to yield nitrogen, and the most common mode for the isotopes heavier than O is beta decay to yield fluorine . Oxygen is the most abundant chemical element by mass in the Earth's biosphere , air, sea and land. Oxygen is the third most abundant chemical element in

13938-596: The most commonly used catalytic converter is the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC). DOCs contain palladium or platinum supported on alumina . This catalyst converts particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and water. These converters often operate at 90 percent efficiency, virtually eliminating diesel odor and helping reduce visible particulates. These catalysts are ineffective for NO x , so NO x emissions from diesel engines are controlled by exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). In 2010, most light-duty diesel manufacturers in

14076-516: The need for owners to go to a test center. Invisible light flash detection of exhaust gases is commonly used in metropolitan areas, and becoming more broadly known in Europe. Emission test results from individual vehicles are in many cases compiled to evaluate the emissions performance of various classes of vehicles, the efficacy of the testing program and of various other emission-related regulations (such as changes to fuel formulations) and to model

14214-423: The negative health affects related to lead as a pollutant. Despite the plethora of negative health impacts discovered, no regulatory requirements were implemented to reduce lead levels in gasoline until 1983. Slowly, countries began banning use of lead in gasoline entirely from the years of 1986 to 2021. Japan was first to ban lead in gasoline in 1986, with North and South America following with nearly every country in

14352-494: The nitroaereus must have combined with it. He also thought that the lungs separate nitroaereus from air and pass it into the blood and that animal heat and muscle movement result from the reaction of nitroaereus with certain substances in the body. Accounts of these and other experiments and ideas were published in 1668 in his work Tractatus duo in the tract "De respiratione". Robert Hooke , Ole Borch , Mikhail Lomonosov , and Pierre Bayen all produced oxygen in experiments in

14490-582: The oxidation reactions. An upstream air injection point, ahead of the catalytic converter, is also sometimes present to provide additional oxygen only during the engine warm up period. This causes unburned fuel to ignite in the exhaust tract, thereby preventing it reaching the catalytic converter at all. This technique reduces the engine runtime needed for the catalytic converter to reach its "light-off" or operating temperature . Most newer vehicles have electronic fuel injection systems, and do not require air injection systems in their exhausts. Instead, they provide

14628-399: The precious metals to work properly compared to conventional internal combustion vehicles because they do not get as hot as those installed on conventional vehicles, since the combustion engines of hybrids only run part of the time. Pipecutters are often used to quietly remove the converter but other tools such as a portable reciprocating saw can damage other components of the car, such as

14766-458: The remainder of this article. Trioxygen ( O 3 ) is usually known as ozone and is a very reactive allotrope of oxygen that is damaging to lung tissue. Ozone is produced in the upper atmosphere when O 2 combines with atomic oxygen made by the splitting of O 2 by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Since ozone absorbs strongly in the UV region of the spectrum , the ozone layer of

14904-413: The removal of the antiknock agent tetraethyl lead from automotive gasoline, to reduce lead in the air. Lead and its compounds are catalyst poisons and foul catalytic converters by coating the catalyst's surface. Requiring the removal of lead allowed the use of catalytic converters to meet the other emission standards in the regulations. To lower harmful NO x emissions, a twin-catalyst system

15042-416: The role of smokestack exhaust and automobile exhaust in air pollution and founded a company called Oxy-Catalyst. Houdry first developed catalytic converters for smokestacks , called "cats" for short, and later developed catalytic converters for warehouse forklifts that used low grade, unleaded gasoline. In the mid-1950s, he began research to develop catalytic converters for gasoline engines used on cars and

15180-414: The seawater left behind tends to be higher in oxygen-18. Marine organisms then incorporate more oxygen-18 into their skeletons and shells than they would in a warmer climate. Paleoclimatologists also directly measure this ratio in the water molecules of ice core samples as old as hundreds of thousands of years. Planetary geologists have measured the relative quantities of oxygen isotopes in samples from

15318-474: The second (HC and CO oxidation) catalyst is sufficiently oxygen-saturated. Catalyst poisoning occurs when the catalytic converter is exposed to exhaust containing substances that coat the working surfaces, so that they cannot contact and react with the exhaust. The most notable contaminant is lead , so vehicles equipped with catalytic converters can run only on unleaded fuel. Other common catalyst poisons include sulfur , manganese (originating primarily from

15456-467: The sensing of the changed air–fuel ratio by the sensor, as well as the sigmoidal response of the oxygen sensors. Typical control systems are designed to rapidly sweep the air–fuel ratio such that it oscillates slightly around the stoichiometric point, staying near the optimal efficiency point while managing the levels of stored oxygen and unburnt HC. Closed loop control is often not used during high load/maximum power operation, when an increase in emissions

15594-399: The stock catalytic converter netted only a 3% increase in maximum horsepower; a new metallic core converter only cost the car 1% horsepower, compared to no converter. Carburetors on pre-1981 vehicles without feedback fuel-air mixture control could easily provide too much fuel to the engine, which could cause the catalytic converter to overheat and potentially ignite flammable materials under

15732-442: The time therefore included secondary air injection , which injected air into the exhaust stream. This increased the available oxygen, allowing the catalyst to function as intended. Some three-way catalytic converter systems have air injection systems with the air injected between the first ( NO x reduction) and second (HC and CO oxidation) stages of the converter. As in two-way converters, this injected air provides oxygen for

15870-453: The toxicity of exhaust leaving the engine, but these alone have generally been proved insufficient to meet emissions goals. Therefore, technologies to detoxify the exhaust are an essential part of emissions control. One of the first-developed exhaust emission control systems is secondary air injection. Originally, this system was used to inject air into the engine's exhaust ports to provide oxygen so unburned and partially burned hydrocarbons in

16008-436: The two continents banning lead by 1998. Africa was the latest to ban lead in gasoline with most countries banning in 2004 and 2005 and the last, Algeria, which didn’t ban it until 2021. The agencies charged with implementing exhaust emission standards vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, even in the same country. For example, in the United States, overall responsibility belongs to the EPA, but due to special requirements of

16146-486: The universe, after hydrogen and helium. About 0.9% of the Sun 's mass is oxygen. Oxygen constitutes 49.2% of the Earth's crust by mass as part of oxide compounds such as silicon dioxide and is the most abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust . It is also the major component of the world's oceans (88.8% by mass). Oxygen gas is the second most common component of the Earth's atmosphere , taking up 20.8% of its volume and 23.1% of its mass (some 10 tonnes). Earth

16284-401: The unpaired electrons in the molecule, and the negative exchange energy between neighboring O 2 molecules. Liquid oxygen is so magnetic that, in laboratory demonstrations, a bridge of liquid oxygen may be supported against its own weight between the poles of a powerful magnet. Singlet oxygen is a name given to several higher-energy species of molecular O 2 in which all

16422-435: The upper atmosphere functions as a protective radiation shield for the planet. Near the Earth's surface, it is a pollutant formed as a by-product of automobile exhaust . At low earth orbit altitudes, sufficient atomic oxygen is present to cause corrosion of spacecraft . The metastable molecule tetraoxygen ( O 4 ) was discovered in 2001, and was assumed to exist in one of the six phases of solid oxygen . It

16560-476: The upstream components of the exhaust system (manifold or header assembly and associated clamps susceptible to rust, corrosion or fatigue such as the exhaust manifold splintering after repeated heat cycling), ignition system (e.g., coil packs, primary ignition components, distributor cap, wires, ignition coil and spark plugs) or damaged fuel system components (e.g., fuel injectors, fuel pressure regulator, and associated sensors). Oil and coolant leaks, perhaps caused by

16698-488: The use of oxygenated gasoline to reduce CO emissions. Throughout the years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to implement new regulations to reduce harmful emissions for vehicles. Some of the more important update standards are as follows. In 1922, lead was added to gasoline as an antiknock agent. It was not until 1969, nearly five decades later, that research began to show

16836-451: The vessel were converted into the classical element fire and thus were able to escape through pores in the glass. Many centuries later Leonardo da Vinci built on Philo's work by observing that a portion of air is consumed during combustion and respiration . In the late 17th century, Robert Boyle proved that air is necessary for combustion. English chemist John Mayow (1641–1679) refined this work by showing that fire requires only

16974-478: Was "to follow the operational plans established by previous (GM) Project Centers. Items unique to the "Emissions Control Systems Project Center" (were): The ("Emissions Control Systems Project Center") (had) seven tasks to perform, such that an emission system, which passes all existing Federal Emission and Fuel Economy legislation is put into production. These are to work with the car divisions to: The system implementation (was to) be phased in over three years. In

17112-428: Was HO, leading to the conclusion that the atomic mass of oxygen was 8 times that of hydrogen, instead of the modern value of about 16. In 1805, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Alexander von Humboldt showed that water is formed of two volumes of hydrogen and one volume of oxygen; and by 1811 Amedeo Avogadro had arrived at the correct interpretation of water's composition, based on what is now called Avogadro's law and

17250-417: Was awarded United States Patent 2,742,437 for his work. Catalytic converters were further developed by a series of engineers including Carl D. Keith , John J. Mooney , Antonio Eleazar, and Phillip Messina at Engelhard Corporation, creating the first production catalytic converter in 1973. The first widespread introduction of catalytic converters was in the United States automobile market. To comply with

17388-519: Was developed in the 1970s – this added a separate (rhodium/platinum) catalyst which reduced NO x ahead of the air pump, after which a two-way catalytic converter (palladium/platinum) removed HC and CO. This cumbersome and expensive system was soon made redundant, after it was noted that under some conditions the initial catalyst also removed HC and CO. This led to the development of the three-way catalyst, made possible by electronics and engine management developments. William C. Pfefferle developed

17526-408: Was first discovered by Swedish pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele . He had produced oxygen gas by heating mercuric oxide (HgO) and various nitrates in 1771–72. Scheele called the gas "fire air" because it was then the only known agent to support combustion. He wrote an account of this discovery in a manuscript titled Treatise on Air and Fire , which he sent to his publisher in 1775. That document

17664-451: Was given off when the substance containing it was burned, while the dephlogisticated part was thought to be its true form, or calx . Highly combustible materials that leave little residue , such as wood or coal, were thought to be made mostly of phlogiston; non-combustible substances that corrode, such as iron, contained very little. Air did not play a role in phlogiston theory, nor were any initial quantitative experiments conducted to test

17802-1153: Was in the United States automobile market. To comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's stricter regulation of exhaust emissions, most gasoline-powered vehicles starting with the 1975 model year are equipped with catalytic converters. These "two-way" converters combine oxygen with carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC) to produce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O). Although two-way converters on gasoline engines were rendered obsolete in 1981 by "three-way" converters that also reduce oxides of nitrogen ( NO x ), they are still used on lean-burn engines to oxidize particulate matter and hydrocarbon emissions (including diesel engines, which typically use lean combustion), as three-way-converters require fuel-rich or stoichiometric combustion to successfully reduce NO x . Although catalytic converters are most commonly applied to exhaust systems in automobiles, they are also used on electrical generators , forklifts , mining equipment, trucks , buses , locomotives , motorcycles , and on ships. They are even used on some wood stoves to control emissions. This

17940-491: Was independently developed in 1895 by German engineer Carl von Linde and British engineer William Hampson . Both men lowered the temperature of air until it liquefied and then distilled the component gases by boiling them off one at a time and capturing them separately. Later, in 1901, oxyacetylene welding was demonstrated for the first time by burning a mixture of acetylene and compressed O 2 . This method of welding and cutting metal later became common. In 1923,

18078-445: Was no overall increase in weight when tin and air were heated in a closed container. He noted that air rushed in when he opened the container, which indicated that part of the trapped air had been consumed. He also noted that the tin had increased in weight and that increase was the same as the weight of the air that rushed back in. This and other experiments on combustion were documented in his book Sur la combustion en général , which

18216-465: Was not sensibly different from that of common air , but I fancied that my breast felt peculiarly light and easy for some time afterwards." Priestley published his findings in 1775 in a paper titled "An Account of Further Discoveries in Air", which was included in the second volume of his book titled Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air . Because he published his findings first, Priestley

18354-408: Was proven in 2006 that this phase, created by pressurizing O 2 to 20  GPa , is in fact a rhombohedral O 8 cluster . This cluster has the potential to be a much more powerful oxidizer than either O 2 or O 3 and may therefore be used in rocket fuel . A metallic phase was discovered in 1990 when solid oxygen is subjected to a pressure of above 96 GPa and it

18492-504: Was published in 1777. In the meantime, on August 1, 1774, an experiment conducted by the British clergyman Joseph Priestley focused sunlight on mercuric oxide contained in a glass tube, which liberated a gas he named "dephlogisticated air". He noted that candles burned brighter in the gas and that a mouse was more active and lived longer while breathing it. After breathing the gas himself, Priestley wrote: "The feeling of it to my lungs

18630-462: Was published in 1777. In that work, he proved that air is a mixture of two gases; 'vital air', which is essential to combustion and respiration, and azote (Gk. ἄζωτον "lifeless"), which did not support either. Azote later became nitrogen in English, although it has kept the earlier name in French and several other European languages. Lavoisier renamed 'vital air' to oxygène in 1777 from

18768-420: Was shown in 1998 that at very low temperatures, this phase becomes superconducting . Oxygen dissolves more readily in water than nitrogen, and in freshwater more readily than in seawater. Water in equilibrium with air contains approximately 1 molecule of dissolved O 2 for every 2 molecules of N 2 (1:2), compared with an atmospheric ratio of approximately 1:4. The solubility of oxygen in water

18906-530: Was the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system. This draws crankcase fumes heavy in unburned hydrocarbons – a precursor to photochemical smog – into the engine's intake tract so they are burned rather than released unburned from the crankcase into the atmosphere. Positive crankcase ventilation was first installed on a widespread basis by law on all new 1961-model cars first sold in California. The following year, New York required it. By 1964, most new cars sold in

19044-539: Was used in Alpina's B12 5,7 E-KAT based on the BMW 750i . Heating coils inside the catalytic converter assemblies are electrified just after the engine is started, bringing the catalyst up to operating temperature very quickly to qualify the vehicle for low emission vehicle (LEV) designation. BMW later introduced the same heated catalyst, developed jointly by Emitec, Alpina, and BMW, in its 750i in 1999. Some vehicles contain

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