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Aviation and racing fuel 'octane' numbers are an accepted misuse of the word octane. They get those higher than 100 numbers via Benzene, Methane, Ethane, Toluene, Xylene.

It would be a bother to say "well it's like 100 'octane', but 13 clicks better," and so 113 octane it is. In the abstract, it's not too far from "Kleenex" meaning facial tissue.






Hence the term "Octane Rating".

Octane itself,as you mention is a chemical component of gasoline. The amount of octane in the fuel used to raised by "cracking" the gasoline.

When that did not produce enough anti-knock properties, other chemicals were added and the term "octane rating" replaced "octane".

So, when one uses the term "octane" while referring to modern fuels, one is actually using an accepted, abbreviated form of "octane rating".

Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también