hydrocarbon fuels are those having a utility as fuel in internal combustion engines most preferable are motor gasolines a liquid hydrocarbon fuel commonly mixed with hydrous ethanol is automotive gasoline the mixture of automotive gasolines and hydrous ethanol is commonly known as gasohol the gasoline content is usually between 80 and 99 percent by weight with a hydrous ethanol content between about 1 and 20 percent the ethanol by the time of ultimate use has about 5 percent by weight of water in it due to its water absorptive characteristics but it could have as much as or even more than 12 percent water and is therefore referred to as hydrous ethanol preferred according to the invention is gasohol comprising about 90 percent by weight of gasoline and 10 percent by weight of hydrous ethanol which comprises about 95 percent by weight of ethanol and 5 percent by weight of water the amount of inhibitor required is dependent upon the temperature to which the liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrous ethanol mixture will be subjected as the temperature decreases more inhibitor is required to prevent phase separation it is preferable that the phase separation inhibitor be effective at 0 u00b0 c more preferable that it be effective at 20 u00b0 c and most preferable that it be effective at 40 u00b0 c further the amount of inhibitor required to prevent phase separation depends upon the effectiveness of the particular inhibitor used an effective amount of inhibitor is preferably between 0 05 and 10 0 percent by weight of liquid.