Gasoline, or petrol, is a transparent, petroleum-derived oil that is used primarily as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain ethanol as an alternative fuel. In North America, the term gasoline is often shortened in colloquial usage to gas, while petrol is the common name in the UK, Republic of Ireland and in Commonwealth countries. Under normal ambient conditions, its material state is liquid, unlike liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas.
