What is the problem with MTBE in gasoline?

Some gasoline contains MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether. Find out why MTBE is added to gasoline in the first place, and why it's no longer a popular additive, in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:29):
Brain with today's question, what is the problem with MTB
in gasoline? If you have ever pump gas that claimed
to be oxygenated, something that's common in most urban areas
in the winter, then you have probably used gasoline containing
mt B E. Mt B E is the acronym for

(00:49):
methyl tertiary butle ether, a fairly simple molecule that is
created from methanol. Mt B E gets added to gasoline
for two re First, it boosts octane, and second, it's
an oxygen eate, meaning that it adds oxygen to the
reaction when it burns ideally, and oxygen eate reduces the

(01:11):
amount of unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in a car's exhaust.
MTB started getting added to gasoline in a big way
after the clean air act of into effect. Gasoline can
contain as much as ten to fifteen per cent MTB.
The main problem with MTB is that it's thought to

(01:31):
be carcinogenic and it mixes easily with water. If gasoline
containing MTB leaks from an underground tank at a gas station,
it can get into groundwater and contaminate wells. Of course,
MTB isn't the only thing getting into the groundwater when
a tank leaks, so is gasoline and a host of

(01:52):
other gasoline additives. But in recent years MTB has been
singled out because of the amount of it, the water solubility,
and the cancer risk. Many states have now banned mtv E.
The thing replacing it in gasoline is ethanol normal alcohol.
It's somewhat more expensive than mt B, but it's not

(02:13):
a cancer threat. For more on this and thousands of
other topics, Is It How staff works dot com. Audible
dot com is the leading provider of digital audio books
and spoken word, with over one tho titles to choose from.
Audible lets you listen to your favorite books anywhere, anytime.

(02:33):
Go to audible podcast dot com slash stuff Brain to
get a free audio book download of your choice. When
you sign up today,