The Abel test is a method developed by the British chemist Frederick Abel (1827–1902) to determine the flash point of a given sample of petroleum in order to ascertain the temperature at which it could safely be stored or used.[1]

The test was mandated by the British Petroleum Act 1879, which fixed the minimum flash point for general and commercial use at 73 °F (23 °C; 296 K).[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Abel test". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vol. 1 (14 ed.). 1930. p. 34.
  2. ^ Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change, 1800-2000, edited by Ernst Homburg and Elisabeth Vaupel (Berghahn Books, 2019), p. 30.