Iced Petrol!

Just thought I'd post this as I have never seen the like before.

Filled up car on way home the other day.

Parked, facing up the hill.

Walking past the car last night I noticed ice under the petrol cap! Weather miserable but not frosty.

I picked it out and it was frozen petrol!

I took the cap off and basically the petrol level was right to the brim and  was leaking out of the cap and mixing on the outside with the rain making a frozen petrol type mixture!

Any hypothesis on the Physics at work is welcome.

Suppose I better check that aswell as petrol getting out that water can't get in through cap!

Peter.

Bottle it and sell it as new alcho-pop!

I'm not sure what sounds best tho, 'Iced Petrol' or 'Petrol Ice?'

As petrol and water do not mix, I would think it was just ice that you saw?

Chip a bit off and set light to it somewhere safe to find out!

Petrol and water do not mix, but, evaporation of petrol will very quickly freeze water in lower temps.  So some petrol on water droplets will freeze the droplets.

Here's a tip for making some quick icecubes for cocktails (the fiery kind).  Pour water about an inch deep in a container on a cold day.  Add petrol to the water - within a minute or two the water will freeze.  Pour off the petrol (don't burn it off as you may melt the ice) and hey presto ice.

Warning: Do not try this as you will either burn yourself down or poison yourself.  Either way you'll probably die.

Something to do with latent heat of evaporation I think. For the petrol to evaporate it requires energy taken from the water. The energy taken from the water reduces its temperature which can cause freezing even at ambient temperatures above 0 degrees. This effect can also cause carb icing.

I am sure the frozen stuff is still ice not petrol though like you say for making the ice cubes!

Ah I see.

Cool.

Yep

REAL cool

Cheers

well fuel freezes at about -150 so i tink it mite have been water!!