Sulphur in safety matches

Gustaf Erik Pasch, a Swedish chemist and professor, invented the safety match in 1844. He separated the reactive chemicals by placing red phosphorus on a striking surface rather than on the match head. Fellow Swedish industrialists Johan Edvard Lundström and his brother Carl later refined and mass-manufactured the design in the 1850s.

The safety match became commercially widespread worldwide. It changed how we start fire. The head of the match was made of sulphur though the coating consisted of phosphorus. With some changes in formulations this “recipe” is still used today. Most safety matches use both sulfur and phosphorus, but they are split up. The match head contains sulfur (as a fuel), while the striking strip on the box contains safe red phosphorus.

This article has been published for educational purposes. If you are looking for suppliers of industrial sulphur (or sulfur), please contact the source.

Safety match design

A safety match is designed so that the match head and the striking surface work together to produce ignition.

Sulphur serves several related purposes:

It is an easily ignited fuel.
Sulphur ignites more readily than many ordinary fuels. Once ignited by friction, it begins to burn and release heat.
Sulphur helps transfer ignition to the wooden matchstick.
The initial reaction in the match head produces enough heat to ignite the combustible material in the head and subsequently the wood.
It contributes to rapid combustion.
Sulphur burns to sulphur oxides and releases heat, helping sustain the initial flame.
Sulphur also helps make ignition reliable.
In traditional formulations, as in safety matches,, sulphur’s relatively low ignition temperature makes it useful for getting the combustion process started.

The process

A simplified sequence is of how safety match works:

Friction → heat → ignition of phosphorus-containing material → match head ignites → sulphur and other fuels burn → wooden stick catches fire

The match head also contains an oxidizing agent, commonly a chlorate, which supplies oxygen for rapid combustion. Thus, unlike an ordinary fire, the match head carries much of what it needs for its initial combustion.

Usefulness of Sulphur

Why sulphur is particularly useful

Sulphur has a combination of properties that makes it valuable:

relatively easy ignition + combustible nature + ability to release heat quickly

This is closely related to the reason sulphur was historically valuable in black powder. In both cases, sulphur helps transform a difficult-to-start combustion system into one that can ignite and burn rapidly.

If you are looking for industrial sulphur, then you should contact the supplier of industrial sulphur.