Where will you find chemistry in your car?

Do chemistry and chemical compounds play an important role in automobiles and the entire automobile industry? Definitely yes! Without a doubt, they are one of its key elements. They are used in many applications, from lacquers, bumpers and headlights to interior seats, dashboard components and seat belts. Fuels are mixtures of many chemical compounds, as are the lubricants used for the proper functioning of the vehicle. Therefore, it is worth learning where we can find the chemistry in our car and getting to know it better. Published: 4-10-2023 What can we use to build a car? Although the heart of every car is the engine, which largely determines the dynamics of the entire vehicle, other components, including the body, play an equally important role. The material from which it is made is a combination of knowledge and experience in chemistry, physics and materials engineering. Although steel remains the basic material used in automobile bodies, the use of composites, polymers and even some recycled waste is gaining popularity. Most body elements are made of rolled steel. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Additionally, to improve the performance of the final material, modifiers are introduced in the form of selected chemical elements, including copper, manganese, nickel and cobalt. Depending on the structural component of the car, the steel used will have a somewhat different weight composition; For example, the steel used in the bearing section stands out for its low carbon content.



Additionally, to meet specific requirements, engineers have developed special grades of steel, including those that ensure the desired ductility or strength of the finished product. Aluminum can be used, for example, to make the structure of a car. Aluminum has some disadvantages compared to steel (for example, lower mechanical strength), but it is also less susceptible to moisture. It is not used as a CZ Leads pure metal, but only in the form of alloys. The type and amount of alloy additives depend on the final properties required. The most used additives are magnesium, silicon, copper and manganese. Individual alloys differ in their parameters, so they must be selected according to the requirements of the final element. Popular structural materials include composites . This is what we call materials that consist of more than two components. Composites for the automotive industry are produced using the so-called base metals (iron and its alloys, nickel alloys, aluminum, magnesium, copper, etc.), base ceramics (aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, etc.) and ceramics. base (aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, etc.). Polymers (thermosetting and chemically curable resins, thermoplastic materials, etc.). The most used composites are glass fibers. They are produced by adding a polymer filler to fiberglass . In recent years, special attention has been paid to the use of carbon fiber reinforced composites due to their numerous advantages, especially their high mechanical strength.







Fuels and lubricants Fuels and lubricants are other important elements that play a very important role in the automobile industry. Here we can also find a large number of chemical compounds. Fuels The most important aspect of fuels is their properties. They depend directly on their chemical composition. Fuels are products based mainly on hydrocarbons and containing mixtures of other elements. Gasoline is a liquid mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms, which is obtained by rectification of crude oil. Additionally, gasoline contains unsaturated hydrocarbons (containing multiple bonds in their molecules) and aromatic hydrocarbons (containing benzene rings). To improve the properties, so-called anti-knock agents (selected chemical compounds) are also added. Its total content usually does not exceed 1%. An important parameter that indicates the quality of gasoline is the octane number. Its value defines the fuel's ability to burn efficiently. Gas stations typically offer gasoline with an octane rating of 95 and 98. Diesel is a fuel obtained by distilling crude oil. Diesel contains naphthenic, paraffinic and aromatic fractions. The raw product contains a considerable amount of sulfur, which is highly undesirable. That is why sulfur is extracted through hydrorefining. The quality of diesel is determined by the so-called cetane number. It is a parameter that indicates the diesel's ability to self-ignite. This strictly depends on the chemical composition. The higher the value, the easier it is to start a cold engine with the lowest possible exhaust emissions. LPG and CNG are two types of gases used in the automobile industry.