The problem of predicting flash points (T.) of alkanes from their molecular formula is revisited. Starting from an examination of the dependence of T. on the length of the carbon chain for n-alkanes, a new model is proposed. Despite its extreme simplicity, it performs better than published alternatives based on advanced regression techniques. This illustrates the interest of an inductive approach to quantitative structure-property relationships, whereby a model is first developed for restricted series of simple compounds before being generalized. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.