What are matches made of? What material are matches made of

Phosphorus is a wonderful element of nature, and I will tell you two stories so that you can understand its history. The former story is far from the present, taking place at the end of the 17th century, and the latter is modern. And then I'm going to draw conclusions from these two stories and give you a peculiar history of phosphorus.

You know, without phosphorus, there is neither life nor thought.

First of all, phosphorus is a substance concerned with life and thought. Bones contain phosphorus, which controls the growth and normal development of bone marrow cells. There is a lot of phosphorus in the brain, which means that phosphorus plays a very important role in the work of the brain.

A lack of phosphorus in food weakens the whole body. It is no wonder that there are many kinds of phosphorus-containing drugs that are taken by people who are weak and patients in the ** period. Phosphorus is needed not only by humans, but also by animals and plants.

At present, we can not only use phosphate fertilizer to make the fields fertile, but also to make the sea fertile. Sprinkled with phosphorus compounds in a narrow harbor will cause fine algae and other microorganisms to multiply rapidly, and as a result, the reproduction rate of fish will be greatly increased. In such an experiment, phosphorus compounds were sprinkled in a pond near Leningrad, and the fish grew twice as large as usual.

Now phosphorus plays a great role in the manufacture of various foods, especially in the manufacture of soda. High-grade soda can be made from phosphoric acid. Phosphates, especially those of manganese and iron, can be used as strong and unchanging coatings.

We know that the best stainless steel products are smeared with a layer of phosphate on the surface. If the surface layer of each part of the aircraft is coated with this phosphate, it will not rust. People have long used the "cold fire" of phosphorus to give rise to a large industry - the match industry.

Our young readers may not know what kind of matches were used before the invention of the modern match. I still remember when I was a kid, the matches I used were red-headed, and they could catch fire when I rubbed anything on them. The kind of match that caught fire easily when it touched the sole of a leather shoe, but the dangerous nature of phosphorus forced people to invent another kind of match, the one we all use today.

2 minutes to tell you how matches are made.

There are two kinds of match rods, paper and wood, and wooden match rods are generally made of five or six kinds of firewood such as poplar and walnut. In the match head of a match, it contains potassium chlorate, potassium dichromate, iron oxide, sulfur, rosin, manganese dioxide, antimony sulfide, etc.

Match is based on the principle of frictional heat generation of objects, using the chemical activity of strong oxidant and reducing agent, to make a kind of fire tool that can be friction fire. The sides of the matchbox were coated with red phosphorus, diantimony trisulfide and glass powder. When the match head and the side of the matchbox are rubbed, the heat generated by the friction ignites the red phosphorus in contact with potassium chlorate, etc., and causes the flammable materials on the firewood head to burn, so that the matchstick catches fire.

The advantage of matches is that red phosphorus is not toxic, and it and the oxidant are adhered to the side of the matchbox and the matchstick respectively, and the two do not touch when not in use, so they are called safety matches.

1. There are two kinds of match rods: paper and wood, and wooden match rods are generally made of five or six kinds of firewood such as poplar and walnut. In the round head of the match, it contains potassium chlorate, potassium dichromate, iron oxide, sulfur, rosin, manganese dioxide, antimony sulfide, etc., and sometimes some lead monoxide is appropriately incorporated.

2. In order to facilitate the burning of matches, the rod next to the round end of the match is also coated with 1 cm long paraffin. On the paper fire shelter erection tung firewood fiber acre pole, this part can be seen more clearly. The friction surface of the matchbox is coated with red phosphorus, antimony oxide, which is used as an ignition agent, and sometimes manganese dioxide, silica sand, etc.

On the friction surface of the matchbox, press the match and slash it, and the red phosphorus Hongtan on the friction surface burns first. This heat causes the other oxidants to emit oxygen in an instant, and the paraffin on the rod is ignited, and the matchstick burns smoothly.

Matches are made by automated machines.

The production capacity is up to 2 million pieces per hour, and the matches are packed into boxes for later use. Standard matches are made by cutting logs into small sticks, each about a millimeter thick, and then cutting the sticks into matchsticks and dipping them in ammonium carbonate to ensure that the matchsticks do not smolder.

The match branch is inserted by a machine into a long, constantly moving steel belt with holes, and the end is immersed in hot paraffin; Paraffin wax penetrates into the fibres of the wood and helps the flame to burn from the outer layer of the match head to the tip of the match branch. The matches are then dipped in the mixture used to make the match heads. When the match head dries, the match branch is knocked down and falls into the inner box of the matchbox on the conveyor belt.

The outer box of the matchbox is on another row of parallel conveyor belts. The two conveyor belts come to a stop every few seconds and the inner box is pushed into the outer box. On both sides of the box, a paper coated with red phosphorus is added to wipe the surface. In the case of a one-wiping match, the friction surface is made of glass sandpaper or sand-containing resin.

Disadvantages of early matches:

Early production matches had two very fatal drawbacks:

White phosphorus is very rare and easy to spontaneously combust when heated, which is very dangerous; White phosphorus is poisonous, and match-making workers can be poisoned to death if they are not careful. In 1852 after the improvement of the Swedes from Tastolum, the safety match was invented. Phosphorus and sulfur compounds are used as ignition materials, and it is necessary to rub a box coated with red phosphorus to start a fire, which is safer.

But before the invention of safety matches, people had gone through generations of exploration.

Advantages of safety matches:

The components in safety matches are: match heads are mainly composed of oxidants (KCLO3), flammable substances (such as sulfur, etc.) and adhesives. The sides of the matchbox are mainly composed of red phosphorus, antimony trisulfide, and binder. When striking a match, the match head and the sides of the matchbox.

Friction heat, the heat released decomposes KCLO3, produces a small amount of oxygen, makes the red phosphorus ignite, and thus leads the flammable materials (such as sulfur) on the firewood head to burn, so that the match is struck.

According to records, the earliest matches were invented by our country in 577 AD. During the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, wars broke out everywhere, and the Northern Qi was forced by the enemy on its back and back, and there was a shortage of materials. Especially the lack of fire, cooking is a problem, and a group of palace maids magically invented matches at that time.

However, matches in ancient China are just a material for ignition.

Later, it was introduced to Europe during the Marco Polo period, and later Europeans invented the modern match, which was once known as "foreign fire". "Foreign fire" can make a fire by friction, and the person who invented this match was Walker in England. In 1826, he made antimony sulfide and potassium chloride as a paste from gum and water, which were applied to matchsticks and pulled on sandpaper to create fire.

In 1852, after the improvement of the Swedes from Tastronum, safety matches were invented, which used phosphorus and sulfur compounds as ignitions, which had to be rubbed on a box coated with red phosphorus to make a fire.