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Topic: Possible to change the flash point of a liquid?  (Read 4025 times)

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vercoekl

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Possible to change the flash point of a liquid?
« on: December 15, 2005, 04:01:32 PM »
When putting a solvent with a particular flash point into an aqueous solution, does this change the flash point of the solvent since now it is interacting with molecules with difference chemical properties? I need to know whether the flash point of a propylene glycol solvent I want to use in a cleaning solution will increase (or decrease) when mixed with a surfactant package in an aqueous system.

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Re:Possible to change the flash point of a liquid?
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2005, 07:02:46 AM »
The Flash Point of a chemical is the minimum temperature at which the liquid produces a sufficient concentration of vapour above it that it forms an ignitable mixture with air.

Propylene Glycol has 2 -OH bonds. It is capable of forming H-bonds with water. Since the attractive interaction betweeen propylene glycol and water is stronger than the attractive interaction among propylene glycol molecules, then the vapour pressure of propylene glycol should be less than it is in the case of a pure sample.

A lower vapour pressure translate to a lower concentration of propylene glycol vapour in air, therefore a higher temperature is needed to ignite. This means the flash point increases.
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