What are "detergents" in oil?

[moribundman]

Are they solvents?

 

[Steve S]

Search question of the day.

 

[moribundman]

My search yieled no clues to the composition of detergents in engine oil. Even widening the search to "detergents" didn't help.

 

[norseman]

detergents are different add packs used to suspend sludge or other stuff in the motor oil, to help prevent it from accumulating inside your engine.

Is that what you were asking?

 

[Papa Bear]

Palmolive...


P.B.

 

[bruce381]

Common "detergents" in motor oil are.

CA sulfonate
CA sulfonate overbased
MG sulfonate
CA Phenate

bruce

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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detergents are different add packs used to suspend sludge or other stuff in the motor oil, to help prevent it from accumulating inside your engine.

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Too vague. Also, what you describe sounds like "dispersants."

I would like to know if detergents in motor oil are maybe hydrocarbon-based solvents. if not, what is their basic composition? Surely engine oil detergents are not sodium laureth sulfate, P.B.

 

[moribundman]

Thank you, Bruce!

 

[GMorg]

moribundman,

Replace the ethoxy part of sodium lauryl sulfate with a benzyl and use a divalent salt instead of a monovalent and you are pretty close. The sulfonate part of an oil detergent will have 12-32 saturated carbons and a ring followed by the sulfate. Lauryl sulfate is 12 saturated carbons, then OCH2CH2 followed by the sulfate. P.B wasn't off by much...except for the water part of palmolive.

 

[LouDawg]

quote:

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Originally posted by GMorg:
and a ring followed by the sulfate.

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I THOUGHT that this chemistry had a familiar "ring" to it...