A word from the Akkadian language came into Greek as náphtha , which in turn led to the Latin naphtha . The concept arrived in our language like gasoline .
The first meaning mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to a fraction of the oil that is obtained from the distillation of gasoline . Naphtha, in this sense, is used as a solvent or as a raw material.
Within the petrochemical industry , for example, naphtha is used to produce alguenes, such as propylene and ethylene, as well as to produce other liquid fractions, such as xylenes, toluene and benzene.
Beyond this meaning, in several countries naphtha is used directly as a synonym for gasoline . Naphtha, in this framework, is a mixture of hydrocarbons generated by distilling crude oil and then subjecting the resulting substance to chemical treatment.
The most common use of naphtha or gasoline is as fuel in internal combustion engines , used by most automobiles . One of the most relevant characteristics of gasoline is the octane number , which refers to the temperature and pressure to which the fuel combined with air can be subjected before self-detonation.
It is important to mention that decades ago, to increase the octane rating of gasoline, lead was often added to it. However, due to the impact of this chemical element on people's health and the environment, this practice was finally banned.
Gasoline, in short, is essential for the operation of automobiles whose engines are powered by this fuel. To save gasoline and minimize expenses, it is recommended to control the vehicle's tire pressure; avoid sudden braking and acceleration; and do not drive more than 100 kilometers per hour.
There are certain qualifiers that are placed in front of it to make the term more precise, since it refers to more than one type of fuel. For example, for some experts, light gasoline (the fraction whose boiling takes place between 30 and 90 degrees Celsius and which has molecules with 5 or 6 carbon atoms ) is distinguished from heavy gasoline (boiling between 90 and 120 degrees Celsius). Celsius and its molecules have between 6 and 12 carbon atoms).
There are also those who base the difference between light and heavy naphtha on the hydrocarbon structure : light naphtha basically has linear chain and cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons with a number of atoms of 5 or 6 in each molecule; The heavy one, on the other hand, although it has the same type of hydrocarbons, its molecules have between 7 and nine carbon atoms.
It is interesting to note that gasoline does not explode , despite what we are used to seeing in movies, but rather it burns. This is simply because it is a fuel. To generate an explosion, its steam would be necessary.
As its proper name, NAFTA is the acronym in English for the North American Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA ), a free trade area that since January 1, 1994 involves Mexico, Canada and the United States and gives them the possibility of reduce costs with the aim of promoting the exchange of goods between them.
NAFTA derives from the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement , signed in 1988, since two years later a series of negotiations began to include Mexico. The authorities who signed NAFTA were the following: for the United States, President George HW Bush; for Canada, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney; for Mexico, President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.