A match is hard to come by. In ancient times, people could only use natural fire to make fire. Natural fires are caused by accidental lightning strikes in the forest, or by natural gas rising from the ground and occasionally ignited.
According to research by archaeologists, this natural fire has been used by people for hundreds of thousands of years. Around 50,000 BC, people discovered that friction could make fire during labor, so "drilling wood to make fire" appeared; when they saw sparks splashing out when striking stone tools, "flint made fire" (flint is a kind of quartz stone) appeared. ; After the emergence of bronze ware, "yangsui to make fire" appeared. The Yangsui is a copper concave mirror that can focus the reflected sunlight and make combustible materials catch fire.
Whether it is "making fire by drilling wood", "making fire by flint" or "making fire by using sun flint", it is not easy to come by, and the fire must be preserved. The ever-burning lamps that are lit day and night in our temples today may be the remains of fire.
It was not until the 17th to 18th centuries that scientific experiments emerged in Europe and modern chemistry emerged. Chemists discovered some chemical substances and used these chemical substances to carry out chemical reactions to make fire, and matches gradually appeared.
In 1669, a man named Hennig Brand in Hamburg, Germany, discovered white phosphorus when he evaporated human urine. As for what kind of person he is, some say he is an alchemist, some say he is a quack, some say he is a bankrupt businessman, and he may also wear three hats. He placed human urine in a retort for distillation, and found a special white solid in the receiver, like wax, with the smell of garlic, which glowed continuously in the dark, and called it Kaltes feuer (Cold Fire in German).
Brand's discovery attracted the attention of several German scholars at the time. It was they who recorded Brand's discovery, disseminated it, and left it in scientific literature.
Human urine contains calcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2), which is a metabolite of phosphorus-containing proteins and other phosphorus-containing foods. When calcium phosphate encounters organic compounds in urine and is carbonized by intense heat, or when carbon is added to urine, it may undergo a chemical reaction according to the following reaction formula to generate phosphorus:
Ca3 (PO4) 2 8C ══Ca3P2 8CO↑3Ca3(PO4)2 5Ca3P2══24CaO 16P If sand (SiO2) is present, it can lower the melting point of calcium phosphate and combine with calcium oxide (CaO) to form calcium silicate (CaSiO3) residue:
Ca3 (PO4) 2 3SiO2 5C══3CaSiO3 5CO↑ 2P This is still an industrial method of producing phosphorus, but the raw material used today is mineral calcium phosphate, and it is heated in an electric furnace.
In 1771, Swedish chemist Scheele pointed out that human and animal bones are composed of calcium phosphate, and in 1775, phosphorus was obtained by heating ashes and sulfuric acid. This chemical reaction process is:
Ca3(PO4)2 H2SO4══Ca(H2PO4)2 2CaSO4Ca(H2PO4)2══Ca(PO3)2 2H2O2Ca(PO3)2 10C══Ca(PO4) 2 10CO↑ 4P white phosphorus is a white translucent crystal that slowly oxidizes in the air, and the energy generated is released in the form of light, so it glows in the dark. When phosphorus is oxidized in the air to the point where the energy accumulated on its surface is enough to cause the temperature to reach 40°C, the ignition point of phosphorus is reached, causing spontaneous combustion.
In this way, phosphorus candles and phosphorus bottles that used white phosphorus to make fire appeared in Europe in the 18th century. The so-called phosphorus candle is to place a small candle in a glass tube, place a small piece of white phosphorus at the bottom of the candle, seal the glass tube and place it in warm water, so that the white phosphorus melts and adheres to the candle. When the glass tube is broken during use, the white phosphorus adhered to the candle catches fire and causes the candle to ignite. This first appeared in France in 1781. The so-called phosphorus bottle is to place white phosphorus in a small glass bottle, ignite it and plug the bottle tightly, so that a layer of partially oxidized phosphorus adheres to the inner wall of the bottle. Dip one end of some small wooden strips with molten sulfur and place them in a metal box.
When using it, put the end of the small wooden stick stained with sulfur into a glass bottle to rub out the partially oxidized phosphorus, and then rub it on the cork to catch fire. This first appeared in Italy in 1786, and it can be considered the earliest match. By the beginning of the 19th century, devices that used the chemical reactions of other chemicals to make fire also appeared.
In 1805, Gustave Charles Bonaventure Chancel (1822-1890), a young man in France who studied chemistry and later became a chemist, created an "instantaneous ignition box". This is a small metal box containing a tightly corked bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid and some small wooden strips. The wood strips are pre-coated with a mixture of potassium chlorate (KClO3), sucrose and gum. During use, the wood strips are soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid and set on fire after being taken out. This is due to the chemical reaction between potassium chlorate and sulfuric acid, which generates heat. At the same time, concentrated sulfuric acid absorbs the water in the sucrose, turning the sucrose into flammable charcoal and burning:
4KClO3 2H2SO4══2K2SO4 4ClO2 2H2O O2↑This method Fire devices have been popular in Europe and the United States for nearly 40 years.
Potassium chlorate was first produced by the French chemist Bertollet in 1786 by passing chlorine gas into a concentrated potassium hydroxide solution. He once ground a mixture of potassium chlorate and sulfur in a mortar, causing an explosion.
In 1807, an electric light appeared in Europe. This is achieved by using the spark generated by the electrifying plate to ignite the hydrogen released from the gas generating bottle. The gas generating bottle (Figure 13-1) is based on the same principle as the gas generators used in chemistry laboratories today. Metals such as iron or zinc are suspended inside the bottle, and dilute sulfuric acid is filled outside the bottle. When the dilute sulfuric acid is pressed into the bottle, it reacts with the iron or zinc to produce hydrogen.
This kind of fire-making device is obviously cumbersome if it also carries an electrical starter. By 1823, the German chemist Johann Wolfgang D?bereiner (1780-1849) modified it, called the D?bereiner lamp, which installed a platinum sponge at the hydrogen outlet to absorb hydrogen in the air. of oxygen, and when hydrogen is released from the gas generating bottle it strikes the oxygen and catches fire. This eliminates the need for a power strip. This kind of lamp also became popular for a while and became a fashionable item for wealthy people. However, platinum sponge will quickly become ineffective due to poisoning and needs to be replaced continuously.
There is also a kind of fire-making substance called fire-kindling powder. This is when potassium carbonate (K2CO3), alum (KAl (SO4) 2) and carbon powder are mixed and placed in an iron cylinder, heated in an air-isolated condition, and the metal potassium (K) is produced after the reaction:
2K2CO3 C══4K 3CO2↑2KAl(SO4)2 C══2K SO2↑ CO2↑ Al2(SO4)3 When using, pour out a small amount of this cooled mixture. The potassium metal reacts quickly with moisture in the air and generates a lot of heat. , causing sparks to ignite combustible materials.
This is the creation of Wilhelm Homberg (1652-1715), a German lawyer who loved natural science.
It was not until 1827 that friction matches in the form of today's matches first appeared in England. The creator was a surgeon John Walker (1781-1859). He practiced medicine and opened a pharmacy in his hometown of Stockton-on Tees, England. In preparing the medicine, he created a friction match. This match had small wooden strips impregnated with potassium chlorate and antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3). ) and gum, when used, rub the ends of the wood strips on sandpaper to catch fire. According to his sales diary, which is still preserved in Stockton, he first sold this kind of matches on April 7, 1827, and the purchaser was a local lawyer.
Two years later, this match was introduced to London, the British capital. A science, literature and art magazine told about it. In 1929, the British chemist and physicist Faraday gave a public speech. Talk about it too, and show it.
Samuel Johns, a businessman, heard Faraday's speech and was inspired. He learned that Wacker copied and sold it without applying for a patent. He put the matches into rectangular boxes made of cards and sold them, naming them Lucifer. This word originally meant "devil" and has since become synonymous with "friction match". Johns applied for and obtained a patent in London in 1832.
Johns noted on the card box containing the matches: "As much as possible, avoid inhaling the gas released by the combustion of this black component. People with fragile lungs should not use this lucifer." This may be John This is the reason why Si called this kind of match "Devil".
After some research, a British chemist, A. Wiggers, changed the composition of the match head, increased the potassium chlorate content in Wacker's formulation, and relatively reduced the amount of antimony trisulfide. content.
As mentioned earlier, potassium chlorate will explode when rubbed with flammable materials such as sulfur. It is an oxidant that releases oxygen when heated to promote the burning of combustibles. Antimony trisulfide, commonly known as antimony sulfide, is an orange-red crystal or gray-black powder with naturally occurring stibnite. It burns when heated in the air, producing antimony oxides and sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is a harmful gas, which is why Johns marked it on the matchboxes he sold.
This kind of match does not have a good ignition effect. When using it, place the match head in the middle of the folded sandpaper, pinch it tightly with your fingers, and drag the match rod hard to catch fire. After catching fire, there will also be a small explosion and sparks flying. This makes it last long before disappearing. According to Wacker's sales records, he stopped making matches in 1830. But this kind of match inspired some chemists and inventors to find other chemicals to use this friction method to make fire.
In 1830, another young Frenchman studying chemistry, Charles Sauria, first used white phosphorus to replace antimony trisulfide in WACKER friction match heads. This kind of match has a very good ignition effect and will catch fire with just a slight rub. Germany, Hungary and other European countries have imitated it and developed rapidly.
In fact, as early as 1825, British chemist John Thomas Cooper (1790-1854) used sulfur and white phosphorus to make matches, which had already appeared on the London market.
This form of today’s matches made of white phosphorus, like phosphorus candles and phosphorus bottles, cannot last long because white phosphorus is highly toxic. 0.1 grams of white phosphorus is enough to kill people, and people will develop dental bone necrosis after inhaling white phosphorus vapor. At the same time, potassium chlorate and white phosphorus will catch fire if mixed with slight friction. Matches made from them will often catch fire when placed in a pocket. In 1872, Finland first banned the use of white phosphorus in making matches, followed by other European countries that successively issued bans. The International Union of Labor Legislation held an international conference in Berne, Switzerland in 1906 and passed a resolution banning the manufacture, import and sale of matches containing white phosphorus.
As early as 1845, Anton Schr?tter (1802-1875), a professor of chemistry at the Technical University of Vienna in Austria, heated white phosphorus in isolation from the air to obtain red phosphorus and determined that it was the same substance as white phosphorus. Alien, non-toxic, ignites at around 240°C and can transform into white phosphorus when heated. Soon, in 1847, Swedish chemistry professor Gustav Erik Pasch proposed using red phosphorus instead of white phosphorus to make matches. Various European countries have tried to produce it one after another, but none has been successful. The reason is that the mixture of potassium chlorate and red phosphorus will explode when rubbed or hit. If other oxidants are used instead of potassium chlorate, the fire effect is not good.
Only place potassium chlorate and red phosphorus separately. In this way, there are two matches, that is, one end of the match is coated with a mixture of potassium chlorate, glass powder and gum, and the other end is coated with a mixture of red phosphorus, glass powder and gum. When using it, break the match in the middle, and then rub the two ends against each other to catch fire. The effect is very good. This match quickly became popular in European and North American countries.
By 1855-1856, the British pharmacist Arthur Albright (1811-1900), the Swedish match manufacturer J. Lundstrom and the German chemist Rudolph Christian Bottger (1806-1881) first coated the match head with a mixture of potassium chlorate, antimony trisulfide and gum, and coated both sides of the match box with a mixture of red phosphorus, glass powder and gum to make matches. . When using it, rub the sides of the matchbox coated with red phosphorus with a match instead of using a match that is broken in half. This became the safety match we use today.
By 1898, two French chemists, Henri Sevene and Emile Cahen, obtained the American patent for "improvement of match components", mainly using phosphorus trisulfide (P4S3). Replace white or red phosphorus in making matches. Phosphorus trisulfide was first produced by Clement George Lemoine (1842-1922), a professor of chemistry at Fu Jen Catholic University in France, in 1854 by heating red phosphorus and sulfur in isolation from the air. It is non-toxic and is Stable, it will catch fire when heated to about 100℃. Mix it with potassium chlorate, gum, etc. and apply it on the match head. The match made will catch fire if it rubs against rough walls, floors, shoe soles, etc. Because this kind of match is easy to use and has good ignition effect, it became popular and was called friction match. However, it was eventually eliminated because it was too easy to catch fire. Occasionally accidentally catching fire due to friction would cause a fire. In terms of safety, it was no match for safety matches and was eliminated.
This is how a small match gradually evolved and developed amid the contradiction between safety and ease of catching fire. It has gone through more than a hundred years.
Matches were introduced to my country from the West. They were first given by the British as a gift to Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1821-1850) in 1838. At that time, it was regarded as a treasure in the palace and was only used during grand ceremonies. The formal import into my country was first seen in the Tianjin Customs report in 1865.
The Qiaoming Match Factory was built in Foshan, Guangdong in 1879, which was the earliest national match industry in my country. In 1905, the first match factory was opened in Beijing, called Danhua Match Factory. At that time, all imported goods were labeled with the word "foreign", matches were called "match fire", and people in Beijing also called them "foreign lanterns". "Take a lantern" is a Beijing dialect. In ancient times, it was a small wooden stick used to light a fire, called a fire slave. A fire stick is a fire stick made of thin wood chips or castor stalks. It is about 4 to 5 inches long (1 inch = 3.3 cm). One end is coated with sulfur or saltpeter. With the help of other fire sources, it will burn immediately. It is often used. Lighting lanterns, so Beijing people call it "taking out lanterns".