Background

Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (called MMT or MCMT) is an antiknock agent added to MoGas and AvGas to boost octane rating, replacing tetraethyl lead (TEL) in many regions of the world. In motor gasoline, the Mn content is typically between 50 - 500 mg/kg and can be as high as 3000 mg/kg (approximately 3 g/L) in AvGas. Reliably characterizing the Mn content of gasoline ensures optimum engine performance based on the engine’s compression ratio and other geometrical and mechanical operating conditions. To meet the needs of the industry, Rigaku offers simple and versatile benchtop EDXRF analyzers for the analysis of manganese in gasoline. For optimum results in the ultra-low range, NEX CG II achieves exceptional detection limits using Cartesian Geometry EDXRF.