The match is considered one of the oldest and most reliable methods of lighting a fire, but where does this practical everyday object actually come from?
Sulphur matches
One of the first predecessors of the match was the so-called sulphur match. As the name suggests, this was a wooden stick whose tip was coated with sulphur. The wood itself would simply char on contact with a flame. Due to its low ignition temperature, the sulphur acts as a kind of catalyser that transfers the flame to the wood.
Other chemical matches
Between 1780 and 1830, several other systems were invented that were already similar to today's matches. Many of them utilised the highly flammable properties of white phosphorus. Unfortunately, most of these concepts were unreliable and not very safe.
How John Walker accidentally invented the match
John Walker was an experimental English pharmacist who accidentally invented the match in 1826. A mixture of potassium chlorate and antimony(III) had stuck to the end of a stick that Walker needed for an experiment. To remove this, Walker rubbed the stick on the ground and the mixture ignited in a matter of seconds.
Safety matches
Around 1844, a Swedish chemist by the name of Gustaf Erik Pasch invented a match which ultimately developed into the modern safety match. In contrast to white phosphorus matches, the head of the safety match is relatively insensitive and can only be ignited by friction over a special friction surface. The head contains potassium chlorate and the friction surface contains red phosphorus. This two-component ignition provides the decisive safety advantage.
It would take a few more years for the more expensive safety matches to prevail over their phosphorus-containing predecessors. Eventually, the use of white phosphorus was significantly restricted and, not least, completely banned. As a result, the modern match as we know it today finally became established.
