Why does linseed oil spontaneously combust?

lvysaur

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Mar 15, 2014
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There are stories on the news of linseed oil spontaneously combusting when left in boxes open to the air. I'm guessing this is the perfect combination of open air (to promote oxidation) and close quarters (to prevent heat dissipation)

However, the linseed oil they tested with was the industrial furniture grade one, not the food one. It is often boiled and processed in other ways. Shouldn't this oil have fully oxidized long before its use? In that case, how did it start spontaneous fires?
 

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