Chemistry/Economics Problem:

[Demiparadigm]

Why is it, that in the US, at a Gas Station/Convenience store, A liter of Gasoline/Petrol/Octane (C8H18) costs less than a liter of water (H2O), yet the gas prices are considered horrible enough to be mentioned every day on national news?

[a500lbgorilla]

Becuase gas has become a "neccessity" of the normal American adult whereas the need for bottled water is laughable. I drink bottled water and it costs about 5c per bottle becuase I simply refill them.

-'rilla

[CrunchyNuts]

We got tired of laughing at the price of bottled water a long time ago. Gas seems the next logical place to go.

Oh, and that whole part about transportation of goods being a huge limiter to our economy, while water placed in plastic bottles only really affects people with too much money in the first place. Let's not forget that

[Demiparadigm]

Also consider the cost of a Latte is in the $40/gallon range.

[LeFou]

actually i bet if you got bottled water 20 gallons at a time the way you do gas, you could easily get it for about 40c/gal.

[Demiparadigm]

actually i bet if you got bottled water 20 gallons at a time the way you do gas, you could easily get it for about 40c/gal.

This is a bad argument, since truck drivers buying gas 100 or more gallons at a time get no discount over college kids buying 1 or 2 gallons.

A better argument would be if you buy bottled water out of a spigot as opposed to a bottle in a fridge it costs less.

Now a more complicated economics problem:
Why is octane(C8H18) or more specifically Trimethylpentane

      CH3  H   CH3 
      |    |   |   
H3C - C  - C - C - CH3
      |    |   | 
      CH3  H   H

cheaper than other natural petrolium gases such as butane(C4H10) or propane(C3H8)?

[CrunchyNuts]

Latte is also not a driving factor in our economy - though its removal may have a strong effect on a certain demographic of the population.

[bigred]

Gas is cheaper than water because it's not as fun to drink. The logic is simple.

[CrunchyNuts]

bottled water out of a spigot

You sir, are a marketing genius.

[lolzzz_321]

Triptane is the most expensive and sought after fuel.

Short for Trimethylbutane too.

[DaNutsInYoEye]

Gasoline is a necessity in America. We cannot live without it. Water, on the other hand, we can.

[a500lbgorilla]

Triptane is the most expensive and sought after fuel.

Short for Trimethylbutane too.

I too would enjoy a good Triptane burning.

-'rilla

[CrunchyNuts]

Here here. Dork doesn't even say "hi" on the tables. Even when you talk about VQ's girl.

[Lukie]

I drink more bottled water then my car uses gas. Seriously.

[mb2447]

actually its 2,4,4-Trimethylpentane...

c'mon people get with the orgo program.

[vqc]

i just took my ochem midterm.

[CrunchyNuts]

i just took my ochem midterm.

Congrats, want a cookie?

[Greedo017]

is it your first or second semester. first semester is easy.

and, octane's gotta be cheaper because it is more easily a liquid maybe? and also because you get this stuff from oil, which has a whole bunch of crap in it, and its probably harder to separate out the smaller crap than the larger crap. just guesses.

[CrunchyNuts]

The first, I can understand. The second, my slim education of oil refining from howstuffworks.com tells me that isn't at all the case. But the fact that they fuse the smaller hydrocarbons into octane could tell you something~

[vqc]

i just took my ochem midterm.

Congrats, want a cookie?

yes. im hungry.

[booradly07]

Where I live bottled water isn't a neccessity but you better get a really good RO system or something because the tap water really has a nasty smell and taste to it. Where I grew up well water tasted pretty damn good and city water was fine but where I'm at now I don't consider it an option to drink the tap water. You can't even wash your clothes in it if you don't want them to get a rust coloring.

I have a truck that comes to my house once a month and fills up a sealed 50 gallon container with pure H20 and the 'taste' or lack thereof with pure water is amazing and its worth the $$ to me. The shit out of the sink is like raw sewage in comparison. I drink allot of water so its worth it to me though.

Having said that, the joke was that you knew the end of the world was near when it costs more for a gallon/liter of water than for a gallon/liter of regular unleaded gasoline.

[hydroseeds]

Because gas prices are so damn high, that's why.

[Blinky]

actually its 2,4,4-Trimethylpentane...

c'mon people get with the orgo program

If we're gonna pick on people for their naming the correct name actually should be

2,2,4-Trimethylpentane.

As for the cost of the above vs butane and propane: I'm unsure exactly how octane is sold but I suspect it's not generally sold as pure octane, but whatever.

The higher cost of butane and propane is likely attributable to their gaseous nature. It's harder to store and transport.

Also demi, how do you figure the cost of butane and propane is higher? (not that I doubt you) - is your cost info per unit volume or per unit of heating value?

[vqc]

according to king of the hill
butane is the bastard gas.

[Fortune 500]

Latte is also not a driving factor in our economy - though its removal may have a strong effect on a certain demographic of the population.

And that group are the satanic caffeine addicts that keep starbuck's in business. To hell with them. Hippies.

[Bmxicle]

Demand for bottled water is very elastic whereas the the demand for gasoline is very inelastic. Throw in opportunity cost, marginal benefits, utils/$ and some other jargon and i really sound like i know what i'm talking about.

[daluchy]

Demand for bottled water is very elastic whereas the the demand for gasoline is very inelastic. Throw in opportunity cost, marginal benefits, utils/$ and some other jargon and i really sound like i know what i'm talking about.

Yep. Water too expensive? Drink orange juice/fruit juice/soda/iced tea/etc etc.

Gas too expensive? Public trans, bike, walk, carpool.

Which alternative is easier to deal with?

[a500lbgorilla]

Demand for bottled water is very elastic whereas the the demand for gasoline is very inelastic. Throw in opportunity cost, marginal benefits, utils/$ and some other jargon and i really sound like i know what i'm talking about.

Yep. Water too expensive? Drink orange juice/fruit juice/soda/iced tea/etc etc.

Gas too expensive? Public trans, bike, walk, carpool.

Which alternative is easier to deal with?

Buses! Soda has too many calories!

-'rilla

[vqc]

Demand for bottled water is very elastic whereas the the demand for gasoline is very inelastic. Throw in opportunity cost, marginal benefits, utils/$ and some other jargon and i really sound like i know what i'm talking about.

Yep. Water too expensive? Drink orange juice/fruit juice/soda/iced tea/etc etc.

Gas too expensive? Public trans, bike, walk, carpool.

Which alternative is easier to deal with?

Buses! Soda has too many calories!

-'rilla

YOU HAVE TOO MANY CALORIES.

[Greedo017]

I'm unsure exactly how octane is sold but I suspect it's not generally sold as pure octane, but whatever.

you're right, i clarified this earlier, it is just a bunch of big crap, mainly octanes and hexanes. and, that's not the only structure of octane either, there are dozens of them.

[vqc]

There wont be any fisher projections on my next ochem midterm. yay.

[hydroseeds]

Demand for bottled water is very elastic whereas the the demand for gasoline is very inelastic. Throw in opportunity cost, marginal benefits, utils/$ and some other jargon and i really sound like i know what i'm talking about.

Roffles.