The Invention of Matchstick

The modern match is a small, thin piece of wood or cardboard with a chemically treated head. The head is struck on a rough surface to ignite the chemicals and start a fire. The first matches were made in China about 2,000 years ago.

The Chinese discovered that a mixture of sulfur and realgar (an arsenic sulfide) would ignite when it was struck against a hard, rough surface. This mixture was known as "flying fire." The Chinese used this "flying fire" to start fires for cooking and heating.

The first European matches were made in the early 1800s. The head of the match was dipped in a solution of potassium chlorate and antimony sulfide. When the head of the match was struck, the chemicals reacted and produced a small flame.

The modern match was invented by Englishman John Walker in 1826. Walker was a chemist who was looking for a way to make a steady flame that could be used to light a pipe. He found that a mixture of antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, and gum arabic would ignite when it was struck against a hard, rough surface.

Walker's matches were called "friction lights." They were made by dipping the head of the match into the chemical mixture and then into a coating of gum arabic. The match was then allowed to dry.

Walker's friction lights were an improvement over the earlier European matches, but they had one major flaw - they were very dangerous. The head of the match could easily break off and fall into the mixture of chemicals. If this happened, the chemicals would mix and could cause an explosion.

In 1829, French chemist Charles Sauria made a major improvement to Walker's friction light. Sauria replaced the potassium chlorate in the mixture with lead dioxide. This made the match much safer because the lead dioxide did not react with the other chemicals.

Sauria's matches were called "lucifers." They were the first matches that were safe to use. Lucifers were made by dipping the head of the match into a mixture of sulfur, lead dioxide, and gum arabic. The match was then allowed to dry.

Lucifers were very popular and were used all over Europe and America. In 1844, American chemist Isaac Newton Edmonds made a further improvement to the match. Edmonds replaced the sulfur in the mixture with white phosphorus.

This made the match even safer because the phosphorus did not react with the other chemicals. Edmonds's matches were called "safety matches." They were made by dipping the head of the match into a mixture of white phosphorus, lead dioxide, and gum arabic. The match was then allowed to dry.

Safety matches were so named because they were much safer to use than the earlier lucifers. The phosphorus in the head of the match did not react with the chemicals in the mixture. This made it impossible for the head of the match to break off and fall into the mixture.

Safety matches became very popular and were used all over the world. They are still used today.