<div class="htmlview paragraph">To facilitate the use of ethanol as a fuel for unmodified conventional diesel engines, ignition-improving additives are needed which in the case described (Brazil) preferably should be based on renewable raw materials, i.e. biomass. While members of very different substance groups are known to be reactive in conventional diesel fuels, in alcohols only nitrates seem to have a remarkable ignition-improving effect. Within the nitrates investigated, correlations between reactivity and certain physico-chemical properties (molecular weight, oxygen balance) could be established which indicate the way to even more effective ignition improvers to be developed.</div>