The chemicals involved in modern matches are generally safe, but that wasn't always the case:. Brand was an Hamburg alchemist who discovered phosphorus during his attempts to turn base metals into gold. He allowed a vat of urine to stand until it putrefied. He boiled the resulting liquid down to a paste, which he heated to a high temperature, so that the vapors could be drawn into water and condensed into Brand didn't get gold, but he did obtain a waxy white substance that glowed in the dark.
This was phosphorus, one of the first elements to be isolated other than those which exist free in nature. Evaporating urine produced ammonium sodium hydrogen phosphate microcosmic salt , which yielded sodium phosphite upon heating. Word leaked out that the substance was made from urine, which was all Kunckel and Boyle needed to work out their own means of purifying phosphorus.
Sir Robert Boyle coated a piece of paper with phosphorus, with a separate splinter of sulfur-coated wood. When the wood was drawn through the paper, it would burst into flame. Phosphorus was difficult to obtain at that time, so the invention was only a curiosity. Boyle's method of isolating phosphorus was more efficient than Brand's:. Walker serendipitously discovered a friction match made from antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch, resulting from a dried blob on the end of a stick used to stir a chemical mixture.
He didn't patent his discovery, though he did show it to people. Samuel Jones saw the demonstration and started to produce 'Lucifers', which were matches marketed to the Southern and Western U. Lucifers reportedly could ignite explosively, sometimes throwing sparks at a considerable distance. They were known to have a strong 'firework' odor. Sauria reformulated the match using white phosphorus, which eliminated the strong odor. Article information: Please note that to comment on an article you must be registered and logged in.
Registration is for free, you may already be registered to receive, e. When you register on this website, please ensure you view our terms and conditions. When you put it all together — the heat, the fuel, and the oxygen — you get a flame! And amazingly, all this chemistry happens in a fraction of a second. So please remember — any kind of match can be very, very dangerous, so never use them without adult supervision.
Read more: Curious Kids: is water blue or is it just reflecting off the sky? Hello, curious kids! Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids theconversation. Please tell us your name, age and which city you live in.
Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. Most people, however, use safety matches, which have match heads with sulfur and a striker usually a black strip on the outside of a match pack or box with red phosphorus.
Safety matches, as their name implies, prevent matches from igniting accidentally. In addition to sulfur, a safety match head includes glass powder and an oxidizing agent, such as potassium chlorate. The glass powder helps to create the friction needed to ignite the flammable compounds during the striking process. The oxidizing agent provides extra oxygen necessary to help the ignition process.
The striker on a match pack or box also contains glass powder and sand , in addition to red phosphorus. The glass powder and sand provide friction that helps create the heat needed to turn a bit of the red phosphorus into white phosphorus, which is more volatile and ignites more easily. The heat from friction also spurs the oxidizing agent in the match head to produce oxygen gas, which ignites the white phosphorus which in turn ignites the sulfur in the match head.
We hope you're fired up about checking out the following activities with a friend or family member:. Thanks, Dariana! We wouldn't be where we are today without great Wonder Friends like you! Hi, Aj! We're glad you liked this Wonder! We hope you keep researching your questions at your library and online! We encourage you to embark on your own Wonder Journey to learn more! Hi, Evan! We're glad you thinking about fire safety!
It's always better to be cautious and better safe than sorry! That's so important! We encourage you to keep researching about this topic at your library and online! Great question, Chenaniah! We encourage you to submit your question to the Wonder Bank! You can also keep researching at your library and online! Thanks for the suggestion, Friskpast! Be sure to add that question to the Wonder Bank! It sounds like you love to read, Chara! Hey, But!
Hi, FaZe! We edited your comment slightly, because we don't allow hurtful words on our website. We decided to change one of the Try It Out activities above to reflect this. Thank you for reminding all of us to be safe! With the right tools, it's a lot easier than it used to be, Madison! Thanks for sharing what you learned! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.
Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website?
Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. What makes a match light? When was the match invented? What chemical reactions take place to light a match? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out We hope you're fired up about checking out the following activities with a friend or family member: Ask an adult friend or family member to take you on a field trip to a local sporting goods store.
Check out the camping section.
0コメント