Science Mineral Research Project

By: Gabe Abraam

My Research Question

• What minerals are used in synthetic car engine oil to make the engine run better? Why do they use these minerals?

Car Engine Oil

• There are two types of car engine oil you can use. There is synthetic oil which is the new kind I am researching about and there is regular oil that is made up of fossil fuels.

Synthetic Oil

• Synthetic oil is a newer kind of oil used in cars now that is supposedly more expensive. Although, it is supposed to lasts longer than regular. Regular oil though is better if you have a leak because it is reasonably cheaper than synthetic oil.

Minerals in Synthetic Oil

• Halite• Mica• Bentonite• Tungsten• Lead• Carbon

Halite

• Halite is one of the minerals in synthetic oil. It is known more of being called salt. When it is found it is a crystal like structure, but when it is used in the oil, it is found in some of the petroleum added to the oil. It can be many different colors but usually white. It is non-metallic and the texture is bumpy.

Mica

• Mica is a sheet silicate mineral that is also found in the synthetic oil. It is a mineral that is non-metallic and can be found in many different colors. It also has a flaky texture to it and is not a very hard rock. The mineral can also be glittery in some parts but in others it can look like a rock and be more bland in appearance.

Bentonite

• This is an aluminum based mineral with some water molecules attached which is another mineral used in the synthetic oil. Bentonite is a mineral usually formed by ash that comes out of volcanoes mostly around water. It is also a type of clay but the make the bentonite a in a certain kind of from to put it in the synthetic oil.

Tungsten

• Tungsten is a rare metal that is also used in synthetic oil. It is a very hard metal found as a chemical compound. It has the highest melting point of around 3,500 degrees Celsius, which makes it quite tough. It is also the heaviest metal used by living things which also makes it a extremely tough metal.

Lead• Lead is also another heavy

metal used in synthetic oil. It is a metal that is quite poisonous to humans and mammals damaging nerves. It also has the highest atomic number of all the stable elements so it can be used without having to worry about radiation. Lead is blueish white when it is first found but when exposed to the air it turns grey.

Carbon• Carbon is another mineral used

in synthetic car oil. It is non-metallic and it is black in color. It has a shiny coating look to it as well. Carbon can be used to make many different things and it is used in the oil as part of the petroleum that is in the synthetic oil. Carbon can also bond easily with other things so it is good to use in the oil to bond with the other minerals.

Why These Minerals are Used

• The minerals like tungsten and lead are tough and hard minerals so they use those to make the oil tough to withstand many things. The minerals like mica and halite are used to make up some of the parts in the petroleum and also used as some of the crystals in the oil. Bentonite is used as a liquefied clay in the oil, and lastly the carbon is used as the fossil fuels from the small quantity of petroleum they use in the synthetic oil.

Performance

• This effects the performance because what the engine oil does is transfer the heat out away from the pistons and cylinders when the car is running. That is why they recommend synthetic oil for faster, sportier cars because the synthetic oil lasts longer and has a better effect to transfer the heat than the regular oil and mineral engine oil. So this means the less friction there is against the cylinders and pistons means the smoother the car runs and the faster it will go without friction slowing it down.

Viscosity

• The synthetic oil also has a better viscosity than the other oils. This is because of the certain minerals they use to make the oil smoother and go through the system and the engine a lot faster than most of the other engine oils. This means that it doesn’t take as long for the oil to go through the engine and would not settle and stick to the engine as much as other kinds.

How my Question Changed

• My question first started out as being what minerals are in car engine oil. Although, I had realized that there was mineral and synthetic oil that they used and while looking them up I found out synthetic oil is a lot newer so I wanted to find out what that was. So my question then became what minerals are iin car engine oil and why.

Sources

• "Synthetic Oil." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Gasoline." AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil and Engine Oil. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Google Images." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Halite." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Sources cont.

• "Mica." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Bentonite." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Tungsten." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Lead." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Sources cont. 2

• "Carbon." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "How Does Engine Oil Affect Performance?" BMW 3Series E90 E92 Forum RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

• "Is Synthetic Oil Better?" Autoblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.