Brookes L.E., Stephenson J.H. Cyclopedia of Automobilies Gas and Oil Engines and Farm Tractors

Chicago: Frederick J. Drake & Co, 1919. — 345 p.A Complete Manual of Practical Information for Owners and Drivers of Automobiles, Operators of Gas and Oil Engines and Farm Tractors with Chapters on Electric Light and Water Supply Systems for Farm Homes. Acetylene. The gas acetylene, as used for lighting on automobiles, is produced from cacium carbide by the action of water. The gas is carried in portable tanks under moderate compression and is dissolved in acetone, a liquid having the property of absorbing twenty- four times its own bulk of acetylene. Acetylene gas is composed of twenty-four parts of carbon and two parts of hydrogen by weight and is therefore classed as one of the hydrocarbons. This gas contains the highest percentage of carbon known to exist in any combination of this form. Carbon is the fuel used in all forms of combustion and is present in all fuels regardless of their source or form. In Table 1 is given, in heat units per cubic foot, the comparative heating power of acetylene and other gases.