Low flash point

Carbon disulphide should never be used if any alternative solvent is available, as it has a dangerously low flash-point, and its vapours form exceedingly explosive mixtures with air. Ether as a solvent for recrystallisation is much safer than carbon disulphide, but again should be avoided whenever possible, partly on account of the danger of fires, and partly because the filtered solution tends to creep up the walls of the containing vessel and there deposit solid matter by complete evaporation instead of preferential crystallisation. 

Furan should be kept from heat and flame because of its low boiling point, low flash point, and high flammabiHty. Unstabilized furan slowly forms an unstable peroxide on exposure to air and, therefore, care should be taken when using furan. When distilling furan, remove peroxides first by chemical... 

Acetone can be handled safely if common sense precautions are taken. It should be used in a weU-ventilated area, and because of its low flash point, ignition sources should be absent. Flame will travel from an ignition source along vapor flows on floors or bench tops to the point of use. Sinks should be rinsed with water while acetone is being used to clean glassware, to prevent the accumulation of vapors. If prolonged or repeated skin contact with acetone could occur, impermeable protective equipment such as gloves and aprons should be worn. 

The relatively low flash points of some acrylates create a fire hazard. Also, the ease of polymerization must be home in mind in ah. operations. The lower and upper explosive limits for methyl acrylate are 2.8 and 25 vol %, respectively. Corresponding limits for ethyl acrylate are 1.8 vol % and saturation, respectively. All possible sources of ignition of monomers must be eliininated. 

Pentanes are only slightly toxic. Because of their high volatihties and, consequently, their low flash points, they are highly flammable. Pentanes are classified as nonreactive, ie, they do not react with fire-fighting agents. The fire ha2ard properties for pentanes are Hsted in Table 8 (38). 

Physical Properties of Monomers. 1-Butene [106-98-9] is a colorless, flammable, noncorrosive gas its physical properties are fisted in Table 1, and its thermodynamic properties are available (16). Because 1-butene has a very low flash point, it poses a strong fire and explosion hazard. 

Methyl-1-pentene [691-37-2] is alight, colorless, flammable fiquid its physical constants are also given in Table 1. It is an irritant and, in high concentrations, a narcotic. Like 1-butene, this chemical compound has a low flash point and represents a significant fire hazard when exposed to heat, flame, or oxidizing agents. 

Like brines, alcohols were readily available and widely used as antifreeze Hquids in the early 1900s. Both methanol and ethanol offer exceUent heat transfer and efficient freeze point depression. However, the alcohols have the distinct disadvantage of their low boiling points. During the summer months when the engines operate hot, significant amounts of the alcohols are lost because of evaporation. These evaporative losses result in cosdy make-up requirements. Additionally, the alcohols have very low flash points and potentially flammable vapors. These safety concerns have, particularly in recent years, caused the use of alcohols to be completely discontinued for most heat-transfer systems. 

Compounds with low flash points (below room temperature). Examples are acetaldehyde, acetone, acetonitrile, benzene, carbon disulfide, cyclohexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate and -hexane. 

Acrylonitrile (Vinyl cyanide) CH,CHCN Closely resembles HCN in toxic action Poisonous by inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption Emits cyanides when heated or contacted by acids or acid fumes Symptoms flushed face, irritation of eyes and nose, nausea etc. Colourless flammable liquid with mild, faintly pungent odour Elash point 0°C. Dilute water solutions also have low flash points... 

Segregate the materials from other ehemieals, partieularly redueing agents, paper, straw, eloth or materials of low flash point. 

There are many hundreds of raw material amines commercially available, and a wide variety are used for water treatment applications. They typically have low flash points and are therefore normally dissolved in water down to 20 to 40% strength, to minimize fire risks and permit blending. Additionally, each material has its own specific functional profile covering molecular weight, solubility, volatility, DR, basicity, thermal stability, and other parameters. The standard water treatment amines have all been known and used for 30 to 40 years or more. 

Some of the more common water treatment amines employed today are listed here. Most are corrosive and lachrymatory. Those with a low flash point are usually employed as a dilution in water. 

However, most common amines tend to have a flash point below 200 °F/93 °C and are therefore classified as either combustible or flammable. CHA and morpholine have particularly low flash points (88 °F closed cup/90 °F open cup and 95 °F closed cup/99 °F open cup, respectively). Fire points are higher and the risk of a flash is therefore... 

Colourless flammable liquid with mild, faintly pungent odour Flash point 0°C. Dilute water solutions also have low flash point... 

Alcohols such as methanol and ethanol are readily available and are occasionally used despite significant disadvantages, such as low boiling points. During summer months significant amounts of alcohol can be lost due to evaporation. Such losses lead to costly replacement of the additive. Furthermore, alcohols have low flash points, which may cause safety problems. Moreover, methanol is highly poisonous. Therefore, the use of alcohols has ceased almost completely in recent years. 

Compounds which are considered to be unusually hazardous in a fire context because of their low flash points (below 25°C) or auto-ignition temperatures (below 225°C) are included in the table. The names used are those titles in the text of Section 1 which are prefixed with a dagger. Synonyms may be found either in Section 1 or in the alphabetical index of chemical names and synonyms in Appendix 4. Boiling points are given for those compounds boiling below 50°C. 

A low-flash-point solvent containing pigment was pumped through a bag filter into an open drum. The pigment drum was grounded by means of a grounding rod. Although the operation ran successfully for some time, one day there was a fire. 

Drying at higher temperatures can be dangerous because of the low flash-point of carbon disulfide. 

Because of the variations in the quality of crude oils, the flash point of any crude oil it must be tested, however because most crude oils contain a quantity of light vapors they are considered in a low flash point classification. In atmospheric burning heavy smoke production normally occurs. 

Liquids under pressure (pipeline leaks, pump seal failures, etc.), will be thrown some distance from the point source, while atmospheric leakages will emit at the point of release. The other characteristic of liquid releases is their flash points. High flash point liquids, not operating above their flash point temperatures, are inherently safer than low flash point liquids. Most liquid fires are relatively easy to contain and suppress while gas fires are prone to explosion possibilities if extinguished and source points are not isolated. 

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