THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT A LIGHTED MATCH STICK

Making fire is very easy these days when compared to the days when our fore fathers lived. Ever since the match was invented in 1827, most people take it for granted and never bother to learn how this magical little stick can conjure up fire. Let's dissect the chemical reactions going on inside a match.

What Is A Match?

A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, modern matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface.

The chemical build-up of the match stick.

The ingredients are made from different materials than gunpowder, matches contain the same kinds of ingredients necessary for fire, which explains why (in the right quantities) they can be as explosive. Specifically, these ingredients are an igniter, a fuel and an oxidizer. In a match, these roles are played by red phosphorus, sulfur and potassium chlorate, respectively. But before we explain the purpose of each of these, we should mention a few other supporting elements. Ammonium phosphate, for instance, is impregnated into the matchstick wood to stifle afterglow when the flame dies. The stick is bathed in hot paraffin wax, which ensures the flame burns down past the head to the stick. Animal glue in the head has a dual purpose:
It binds the materials and serves as extra fuel. Another important element is the powdered glass inside the head, which provides the friction that aids striking but also helps bind the materials and creates an even burn. 

Lighting Up

Phosphorus is the star of the show when it comes to igniting a match. And like many Hollywood starlets, it's unstable, sensitive and volatile. This is especially true for white phosphorus, which can ignite spontaneously in the air and was used in early matches. Modern matches use an allotrope of the same element called red phosphorus. But the white variety still makes a cameo: The friction that results from striking against powdered glass generates enough heat to convert some of the red phosphorus to white phosphorus.

Adding Fuel to the Fire

Phosphorus alone would make a spectacular (but brief) one-man show. To sustain itself, the flame needs something to burn and more oxygen than it can get from the air. The fuel, sulfur and the oxidizing agent, potassium chlorate, work together in their capacities. The heat generated from the phosphorus is enough to break down potassium chlorate, and in the process, it releases oxygen. This oxygen combines with sulfur, allowing the flame to thrive long enough for us to light a candle or barbecue. We've described what's called a strike-anywhere match -- in which all these reactive components are packed together in its head. In safety matches, the phosphorus is contained in a separate strip.

While this process is ongoing there is a very necessary precaution we must guide against: which is avoiding the poisonous gas that comes out of the burning, match stick. This poisonous gas is referred to as carbon monoxide.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas which is highly poisonous. The chemical formula for carbon monoxide is CO, one molecule of carbon and one molecule of oxygen. Under high pressure, it becomes a liquid. It is produced by the incomplete burning of natural gas, gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas, oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, coal, charcoal, or wood. It can be released from wildfires. Appliances that use these fuels may also produce carbon monoxide. 

How might I be exposed to carbon monoxide?

The most common source of carbon monoxide exposure is motor vehicle exhaust. You can be exposed to carbon monoxide at home if your appliances that burn fuel are not operating correctly, if your appliances are not vented, or if your chimneys, vents, and flues are blocked or damaged.

You can be exposed if you leave your car running in a garage, use stoves or clothes dryers for heating your home, or breathe tobacco smoke. Exposure to carbon monoxide can come from burning charcoal or using portable fuel-burning camping equipment inside your home, garage, vehicle, or tent. Exposure can also come from using gasoline-powered tools and engines indoors. 

How can carbon monoxide affect my health?

Exposure to very high concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause convulsions, coma, and death through carbon monoxide poisoning. Exposure to high levels can cause impaired vision and coordination, unconsciousness, headaches, dizziness, confusion, vomiting, muscle weakness, and nausea. Exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can cause fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, memory loss, skin lesions, sweating, and flu-like symptoms. In the long term, exposure to low levels can cause heart disease and damage to the nervous system. Skin contact with liquid carbon monoxide in the workplace can cause frostbite.

In conclusion we must avoid every form or possible sources from which carbon monoxide will get entrance into our system. If any possible source is discovered it should be eliminated as quick as possible.
If you think you have been exposed to carbon monoxide, contact your health care professional.