Say I soaked a rag in gasoline, or just had plain gasoline, somehow not touching any surface, or maybe just a carpeted surface. But hot air is surrounding and/or blowing on it. Can it catch fire by heat alone?
by 
IllonaX
ANSWERS: 6
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Nope.
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I am going to go against technicalities and say yes. This is because the vapours would fill the room, and sooner or later, something would heat up enough to glow, and will eventually cause the explosion. There are three things needed for a fire, although not necessarily for an explosion. Hot air from a hair dryer? It may blow up, as the hot air is from an open flame, as such, or an element at least. The hair dryer may be blowing it, but it is evaporating, and sooner or later, it will be sucking vapour through the back end of the hair dryer. Of course it also depends on how quickly the vapour is dispersed too. Not worth playing with.
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It would have to be some pretty hot air if possible, way hotter than anyone can produce naturally. I'm not sure, but if an oven was used and the gas soaked rag was in there at top heat, it probably could ignite.
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From wikipedia: How spontaneous combustion occurs 1.A substance with a relatively low ignition temperature begins to release heat, which may occur in several ways, such as oxidation or fermentation. 2.The heat is unable to escape, and the temperature of the material rises 3.The temperature of the material rises above its ignition point 4.Combustion begins, if sufficient oxygen is present (My thoughts) The key is production of heat by some process. Gasoline vapors, however are very volatile and a small spark can ignite the fumes. Common cause of boating tragedies if engine compartment is not adequately vented. See also:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point
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Yes. There really isn't any meaningful difference between high heat and fire. If you put a steak under an electric broiler, there's a similar situation. There is no spark or flame in a properly operating electric broiler, but you can certainly catch the steak fat on fire if you're not careful.
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It depends just how hot the hot air is. The ignition temperature of gasoline vapor is approximate 500 F (about 260 C), so it's unlikely that hot air would ignite it. What makes gasoline vapor dangerous is that various 'hot enough' ignition sources (pilot lights on gas appliances, cigarette lighters, etc.) are quite common. . . .
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