C8H18 is the chemical formula for octane - a typical component of gasoline. Which came first, the car or gasoline to run the cars?
Gasoline was around before the internal combustion engine was invented, but was considered a useless by-product in the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. Kerosene for lamps was the desired product from the distillation of crude oil in the early days, and lighter hydrocarbons like gasoline and natural gas were just burned off.
With the invention of the internal combustion engine, it was found that gasoline was a better fuel for the engine. As more and more cars were produced, the demand for gasoline increased, but the refineries of the day couldn’t keep up with the demand and there were gasoline shortages.
In the early 1900s, a couple of chemical engineers developed a process using high heat and high pressure to “crack” heavier hydrocarbon atoms apart into lighter hydrocarbon atoms such as those found in gasoline. This was known as “thermal cracking.”
By 1930, a French mechanical engineer perfected a process using catalysts that allowed more “cracking” of heavy hydrocarbon molecules into more gasoline without having to use the more dangerous high heat and high temperature process. This new process is known as “catalytic cracking.”
Thankfully, there is no “thermal cracking” or “catalytic cracking” required on this cache. But there may be a cracking sound as you retrieve the cache container.
Park carefully and you can likely hide your caching activity from any muggles. BYOP.
In your log, note the price of regular unleaded gasoline on the sign. The day this cache was hidden, regular unleaded gasoline was $1.599 per gallon.
Congratulations to TresHntrs for the FTF!
