The Abel test is a method developed by the British chemist Frederick Abel (1827–1902) to determine the

flash point The flash point of a material is the "lowest liquid temperature at which, under certain standardized conditions, a liquid gives off vapours in a quantity such as to be capable of forming an ignitable vapour/air mixture". (EN 60079-10-1) The fl ...

of a given sample of

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

in order to ascertain the temperature at which it could safely be stored or used. The test was mandated by the British

Petroleum Act 1879 The Petroleum Act 1879 ( 42 & 43 Vict. c. 47) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which continued and amended the Petroleum Act 1871. Background The storage and transport of petroleum and petroleum products had been controlled ...

, which fixed the minimum flash point for general and commercial use at .''Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change, 1800-2000'', edited by Ernst Homburg and Elisabeth Vaupel (Berghahn Books, 2019), p. 30.

References

{{Reflist Chemical tests Laws in the United Kingdom