Does Gasoline Dissolve in Water?

[MacElizabeth]

Gasoline can dissolve in water, but it is relatively difficult to dissolve and is almost insoluble in water. Gasoline is more soluble in alcohol. More details are as follows: 1. Gasoline is a colorless to light-yellow, easily flowing liquid at room temperature, which is hardly soluble in water and is highly flammable. Its distillation range is between 30°C to 220°C. When the concentration in air reaches 74–123 grams per cubic meter, it can explode upon contact with fire. The calorific value of gasoline is approximately 44,000 kJ/kg (the calorific value of a fuel refers to the heat produced by the complete combustion of 1 kg of the fuel). 2. Gasoline is produced through the fractional distillation of crude oil and the cracking of heavy distillates. During crude oil processing, units such as distillation, catalytic cracking, thermal cracking, hydrocracking, catalytic reforming, and alkylation all produce gasoline components, but with different octane ratings. For example, straight-run gasoline has a low octane rating and cannot be used alone as an engine fuel. 3. When some surfactants (such as laundry detergent) are added to water and shaken thoroughly, gasoline becomes more soluble in water.