MadSci Network: Chemistry |
This appears to be a loaded question. There could be several answers based on what your students mean by "burn". First of all, do they want to know the temperature of the flame produced by a particular material, or do they want to know at what temperature the material will burst into flames (it's flashpoint)? Secondly, are the students refering to clothing? If they are there are certain minnimum requirements that different types of clothing must meet. I found these codes and links to other codes at: http://www.americanfireretardant.com/Codes.htm If the students are looking for a particular material, they would probably get the best answer by calling the textile where that particular material is produced since there are many variables which will contribute to the temperature at which a material burns. These factors include, but are not limited to the chemicals used in manufacture and the percent of synthetic material used in the fabrics (eg. polyester). I know that this may not help much, but if you are looking for common fabrics or materials you may be able to find additional data in the CRC handbook of chemistry.
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.