Antifreeze

Antifreeze

Antifreeze is a substance used to protect cooling systems against both freezing and boiling over. At its normal strength, (which consists of 50% antifreeze, 50% water) it can lower the freezing point of the coolant to -34 degrees Fahrenheit and also raise its boiling temperature to 276 degrees Fahrenheit. In simple terms, antifreeze keeps your radiator fluid from freezing when it's very cold and keeps your engine from overheating on very hot days.

Never use straight antifreeze in a cooling system. It needs to be mixed with at least 50% water. Most antifreeze is 95% Ethylene Glycol (EG). Most manufactured brands of antifreeze are very similar. The major difference is the type or quality of anti-corrosion additives used. Corrosion inhibitors wear out, but ethylene glycol does not. Antifreeze needs to be replaced every two years. The only exception is life-long antifreeze. They contain special additives that enable them to last up to five years or even go 150,000 miles before being changed. For those who are concerned about the environment, propylene glycol antifreeze (PG) is slightly more expensive. PG antifreeze is less toxic also.

Ethylene Glycol is toxic. Its sweet taste entices pets and/or small children to taste it. If swallowed, it forms calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys which will cause acute renal failure and death. Spills should be cleaned immediately. If it's accidentally swallowed, ethanol should be given until proper treatment can be started. There is a newer antidote available, but doctors used to give an IV of ethanol to counter the poisoning. A bittering agent is usually added to antifreeze to make it taste bad. There is currently legislation before congress that would make using the bittering agent mandatory.

Antifreeze that's been disposed of improperly might flow into waterways where it can kill fish and other animals. It can also seep through soil and get into groundwater. Waste antifreeze contains heavy metals such a lead, cadmium and chromium in large enough levels to be labeled as "toxic waste". Therefore, most states have strictly regulated disposal of antifreeze.

Ethylene Glycol was first prepared in 1859 by Charles Adolphe Wurtz, a French chemist. Ethylene Glycol was first produced in the United States in 1915. The chemical Research Company, McElroy, obtained several Ethylene Glycol patents and developed the process to produce Ethylene Glycol to a semi commercial scale. Antifreeze use was being developed at this time, but its chief use was in the manufacturing of explosives. In 1920, Dr. Curme Jr developed a commercial method to synthesize Ethylene Oxide and Ethylene Glycol. The first commercial plant, Hibbert, patented the use of Ethylene Glycol for lowering the freezing point of water in automobile cooling systems. This untreated glycol was distributed for three years until research found that untreated Ethylene Glycol could become corrosive to the cooling system. From then on, those who produced antifreeze adapted the corrosion package to meet the changing engine and cooling requirements.

Antifreeze revolutionized aircraft design because when used instead of water as an engine coolant, its boiling point allowed smaller radiators to operate at higher temperatures. Before its discovery, many airplane manufacturers tried