# flamable substances in orange rind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flamable-substances-in-orange-rind/57299 "2001-03-09T03:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flamable-substances-in-orange-rind/57299/1 "2001-03-09T03:22:31Z")
I have been aware for a long time that it is possible to ignite a volatile exudate of an orange rind in a dramatic puff of flame. What a great way to impress 8th grade students! (You simply peel off a good sized hunk of rind, light a match, place it about 1/4 inch from the outer surface of the peel and bend/fold the peel so that what’s inside the rind squirts out at the flame. Poof! Wizard of Oz!) But I would like to know what that substance is. I haven’t been able to discover it. Do other foods contain volatile substances too? Is there any practical use for the material, aside from its obvious use as a weapon? e.g. the state of Florida declaring war on, say, Missouri. “Stand back, he’s got an orange peel!” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flamable-substances-in-orange-rind/57299/2 "2001-03-09T03:27:28Z")
I know the peel contains different alcohols and esters, many of which are flammable. But I’m not sure which exactly it contains. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flamable-substances-in-orange-rind/57299/3 "2001-03-09T14:57:43Z")
Well, it’s basically just oil, but it also has other stuff in it that, since IANA biochemist, I’m not equipped to discuss, things like “terpenes”. [http://www.wiu.edu/users/mftkv/org330/exp3.htm](http://www.wiu.edu/users/mftkv/org330/exp3.htm) [http://www.deltrex.com.au/products/s144.htm](http://www.deltrex.com.au/products/s144.htm) [http://www.floridachemical.com/datasheets/orangeoil.html](http://www.floridachemical.com/datasheets/orangeoil.html) Keep away from eyes. When you make candied orange peel, you have to be careful not to rub your eyes before you wash your hands. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flamable-substances-in-orange-rind/57299/4 "2001-03-09T22:31:53Z")
My Grandmother used to save all the orange peel,dry it off and then use it to make a very good fire-lighter for coal fires. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flamable-substances-in-orange-rind/57299/5 "2001-03-10T02:49:57Z")
There’s a substance called d-limonene (aka ®-1-isopropenyl-4-methylcyclohexene) that can be extracted from orange peels and that is commonly used as a cleaning solvent and a hand-cleaner-goop solvent because it has a really pleasant orange smell. Limonene is somewhat flammable (flash point of 115 F), and I wonder if this accounts for the flammability of orange peels. A lot of people seem to assume that d-limonene is harmless because of the smell, but it’s not significantly chemically different from a lot of things that smell bad and that a lot of people would object to working with. I used to work with paint that contained dipentene, which is a mixture of d- and l-limonene. Dipentene smells bad, and I bet most people wouldn’t want to use hand cleaner containing dipentene, but it’s pretty much the same as d-limonene. Even though d-limonene may not be any better for you than other unsaturated hydrocarbons, it’s a lot more fun to work with because of the smell.