Match History

Phosphor matches In which year invented phosphor matches? Perhaps, it is worth linking their appearance with 1831, when French scientist-chemist Charles Soria added white phosphorus to the incendiary mixture. Thus, the components of the match head included salt Berthollet, glue, phosphorus white. Any friction was enough for the improved match to light up.

The matchsticks are both wooden (softwoods - linden, aspen, poplar, American white pine ...) are used, and cardboard and wax (cotton tow impregnated with paraffin).

Collecting match labels, boxes, the matches themselves and other related items called phylogeny. And their collectors are called phyluminists.

In 1847, Schroter discovered red phosphorus, which was no longer poisonous. So gradually the replacement of poisonous white phosphorus in matches with red began. The first combustible mixture on its basis was created by the German chemist Bether. He made a match head on the basis of glue from a mixture of sulfur and bertholets salt, and the match itself was saturated with paraffin. The match burned splendidly, but its only drawback was that it had not previously been ignited by friction against a rough surface. Then Bethher smeared this surface with a composition containing red phosphorus. When the heads were rubbed, the matches contained in it the red phosphorus particles ignited, the head was ignited and the match lit up with an even yellow flame. These matches did not give either smoke or an unpleasant smell of phosphorus matches.

In the beginning, Bether's invention did not attract the attention of industrialists. For the first time his matches began to be produced in 1851 by Swedes the brothers Lundstremy. In 1855 Johan Edward Lundstrem patented his matches in Sweden. Therefore, "safe matches" and began to be called "Swedish".

The Swede applied red phosphorus to the surface of the sandpaper outside the small box and added the same phosphorus to the head of the match. Thus, they no longer harmed the health and easily ignited the previously prepared surface. Safe matches in the same year were presented at the International Exhibition in Paris and received a gold medal. From this moment the match began a triumphant procession all over the world. Their main feature was that they did not ignite when rubbed against any hard surface. The Swedish match was lit only if it was rubbed against the side surface of the box, covered with a special mass.

Soon after that, Swedish matches began to spread around the world and soon the production and sale of hazardous phosphorus matches were banned in many countries. A few decades later, the release of phosphorus matches completely stopped.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match