CHOOH2

CHOOH2 (pronounced "chew two") is a chemical fuel product, used to power vehicles.

By the year 2020, CHOOH2 is ubiquitous; it has essentially replaced gasoline and diesel fuels as the leading combustible fuel.

Composition
The essential ingredient in CHOOH2 is a patented high-sugar wheat, Triticum vulgaris megasuavis, which can be combined with yeast and processed into an alcohol.

The fuel itself is a synthetic, modified grain-based alcohol. It burns at a much higher temperature than most other alcohols, and combusts extremely quickly, making it ideal as a fuel.

Like gasolines of different octane ratings, CHOOH2 comes in several different molecular weights and isomers, for use in different types of engines. A CHOOH2-powered engine will work with any type of CHOOH2, but the best results are obtained by matching the correct fuel to the correct engine.

CHOOH2 burns cleaner than gasoline and diesel, but the fuel itself is toxic. Like other high-concentration alcohols, CHOOH2 can cause blindness and disorientation at low doses, and death at higher doses.

History
Biotechnica created Triticum vulgaris megasuavis, the essential wheat used to create CHOOH2, through genetic engineering. Because Biotechnica was a relatively small corporation, it could not farm its own wheat in quantities large enough to make CHOOH2 profitable. Instead, Biotechnica licensed the rights to use its genetically modified plants to petrochemical companies like SovOil and Petrochem.

CHOOH2 is patented, and is impossible to produce without the T. vulgaris megasuavis plants. Because it is also the world's standard fuel, the licenses to produce CHOOH2 granted by Biotechnica are incredibly valuable. Licenses last for 10 years before expiring. Corporations are then free to bid on the license when it becomes available.

The first company to buy a license from Biotechnica and begin producing CHOOH2 was Petrochem. As an initial investor in the technology, Petrochem does not have to bid to renewing its license, and instead renegotiates its license price directly with Biotechnica.

In the year 2020, Petrochem produces 60% of all CHOOH2. In the United States, Petrochem is also the supplier to every gas station chain in the country, meaning that Petrochem has a covert monopoly on all CHOOH2 sales.

Trivia

 * This chemical structure is not possible in the real world but it can be assumed that this fictional fuel is a hydrogenated form of the real world chemical compound formic acid (CHOOH) which is the simplest carboxylic acid.