Fuel tank internal help

[ross46]

Proper chemistry banner, i have missed seeing these types of posts well if you want a chlorinated benzene then you could always use tetrachloro-phenol, or TCP, although the phenol means its an alcohol in its own right, but with 3 chlorines attached it means it is a chlorinated alicyclic hydrocarbon rather than aliphatic being a benzene, im wondering what sort of bonds petroleum resin is, with petroleum being mostly octance im guessing it would be covalent, though that might just be within the hydrocarbon itself so would it be van-der-waals?

[KwakKwak]

[ross46]

In a petrol tank... Bad idea methinks

[KwakKwak]

Don't worry , joke not an idea, will only realistically know how much resin is left in the tank when I fill her up, waiting for parts etc, hopefully know in a week or so, any solvent I have tested with the resin barely touches it, and if it does melt the resin becomes like a giue which is even worse.
A coat hanger and alot of patience, tank shaking, sore arms and long tweezers is the next route if I don't get 16 liters in.

[banner001]

if you can get hold of chlorobenzene (about £10 a litre) that should shift it...or any compounds whose formal name ends -ate (e.g. methyl ethanoate, phenyl ethanoate).

[ross46]

Ate suffix isn't an iupac suffix is it? and would that be any good in a sonicator?

[KwakKwak]

Kin ell banner, where do you shop how would these affect the tank itself? I assume they will not turn the resin to a gummy sticky mess.

[banner001]

-ite and -ate are standard for many polyatomic oxygen containing species.

the metal of the tank will be unafected as non of these compounds are particularly acidic/basic, they should just dissolve the petrol residue. if you know anyone doing a science/chemistry degree, give them a bit of the petrol resin and ask them to disolve it (without sonication or heat) in a few non-polar solvents...if any work you know you can use that on your tank.

failing that, just pick the things out

[KwakKwak]

Thanks for the chemical advice banner, it'll come out one way or the other.