CAN/CGSB-3.0 No./N° 14.3-M91

1.1 This test method is a standard procedure for the determination of paraffins, olefins, naphthenes, aromatics and unknowns (P.O.N.A.U.) in automotive gasolines using gas chromatography. 1.2 Individual hydrocarbon components or groups of coeluting components greater or equal to 0.01% by mass are determined. 1.3 The separation of individual hydrocarbons by the procedure described in this test method is not absolute and will result in some peaks that represent coeluting compounds (Table 1). 1.4 A limitation of the method is that toluene and 2,3,3-trimethylpentane may coelute. If isooctane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane) and 2,3,4-trimethylpentane are present in the gasoline sample, it is probable that the sample contains 2,3,3-trimethylpentane. The concentration of 2,3,3-trimethylpentane is almost certain to be less than the concentration of 2,3,4-trimethylpentane. When determining the concentration of toluene and 2,3,3-trimethylpentane, it is essential that the gas chromatographic integrator has individual peak processing capabilities including peak expansion and perpendicular drop. In order to detect 2,3,3-trimethylpentane and toluene, these compounds must be within a 5:1 ratio of each other with either compound having the greater concentration. If these components are present in a greater than 5:1 ratio, the toluene and 2,3,3-trimethylpentane may appear as a coeluted peak, thus causing the component in the smallest concentration to be integrated with the more concentrated component. 1.5 The data obtained from analyzing three hundred and sixty-nine Canadian automotive gasolines were used to develop this test method. These data, excluding toluene and 2,3,3-trimethylpentane did not indicate the presence of coeluting peaks which would have a significant influence on the final interpretation of the information. 1.6 From the gasolines analyzed, forty compounds with concentrations greater than one mass percent have been found. These possible forty compounds comprise an average of seventy-nine percent by mass of automotive gasoline. From these forty compounds which may be found in gasoline, this method identifies coeluting peaks for toluene, 2-methylhexane, methylcyclopentane and n-hexane (Table 1). The forty compounds are identified in Table 5 by an asterisk beside its identification number. 1.7 The number of coeluting peaks depends on the total number of individual compounds and the number of olefinic compounds present. The possibility of coeluting compounds increases with the increase of compounds detected after n-octane. 1.8 Oxygenated compounds may be determined by this test method. To analyze for oxygenated compounds, insert oxygenated compounds of interest (Table 2) in the hydrocarbon data table (Table 5). use.