Today we defined some physical property terms as far as organic liquid compounds are concerned. One of which was "Flash Point". The flash point is defined as when the minimum concentration at which a liquid vapor (liquid + atmosphere), will burn. This value is determinant on the vapor pressure and the temperature. The flash point can be used to determine the purity of the sample that you place into the flash point tester apparatus because many compounds have a certain flash point based on temperature. In the lab we were instructed on the proper use of the flash tester. After practicing on methanol, (low flash point), and methanol + water= higher flash point, we used the refined biodiesel from our partnering company. The flash point was supposed to be at between 130-141 degrees C. When we tested the biodiesel in the tester we did not obtain a positive flash until 210 degrees C!! This could be due to an impurity in the biodiesel such as H2O, which is formed during the refining process, and could be present to raise the flashpoint.
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