Sorry, I digressed and neglected to answer your question directly in the last post.
We have two beakers one with gasoline the other with kerosene. I first light a match and ask the kids what will happen when I drop it into the kerosene. Typically they expect it to light. The kerosene at room temperature actually douses the flame. Then I do the same thing with gasoline with a different result in that the vapors light up with the match. Then we put the beaker of kerosene above a burner and bring the temperature of the liquid up to it’s autoignition point somewhere around 200 degrees, drop the lit match in and this time there is fire. What we are demonstrating is the differences in ignition points and autoignition points in hydrocarbons.
The bottom line I’m trying to impress upon the kids is that gasoline is extremely dangerous and volatile at room temperature and actually at just about any natural environmental temperature. Kerosene which is similar to diesel is much safer.
The reason for these demo’s is fire safety. A lot of kids get burned every year using gasoline to torch things. I’m showing them how unpredictable, volatile and dangerous gasoline is. Of course I also show a couple videos and pictures of what happens to burn victims.
FYI: This is something we do with the 8th grade program not the elementary kids. They get a puppet show.
Flashpoint is 100-140F depending on additives while the autoignition is over 400*F.
I think demonstrating to kids how to make a “cool light show” with matches and gasoline is probably one of the reasons that you and your fire fighter freinds are necessary.