Improved Manufacture of Ignition Material for Matches and other Purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Manufacture of Ignition Material for Matches and other
Purposes.
I, ROBERT ERNST ALWIN GANS, of 12, Parkstrasse, Pankow, (near Berlin,) in the
Empire of Germany, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In order to prepare a comparatively harmless ignition material, more particularly
destined for inatches, a substance which easily gives off its oxygen, such, for
instance, as saltpetre, barium peroxide, barium chromate, chlorate of potash or the
like, is mixed with one or more salts of dithionic acid (H2S20%), trithionic acid
(H2S300), tetrathionic acid (H2S40%), pentathionic acid (H2S50), or of acids
produced by the oxidation of said acids, or also of thiosulphuric acid (H2S203), and
then worked with a suitable binding substance into a mass of a desired consistency.
The material thus obtained may be used as an ignition material either for friction
surfaces or for matches without any addition of white or amorpous phosphorus.
The proportion of the substance giving off oxygen to said salts may vary within
wide limits. Thus, for instance, 1 part by weight of chlorate of potash and 2 parts of
baryta salt of polythionic acid gives quite as good an ignition material as 3 parts of
chlorate of potash and 1 part of baryta salt. The ignition point of the material is
very low so that it may be easily ignited on any friction surface. By suitable
additions the ignition power of the new material may be reduced to any desired
extent.
Dated this 28th day of November 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Manufacture of Ignition Material for Matches and other
Purposes.
I, DOCTOR ROBERT ERNST ALWIN GANS, Chemist, of Parkstrasse 12, Pankow, (near
Berlin,) in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-

page_text: phosphorus hitherto in use for matches are composed in the following manner :-
1. According to Professor Dr. Rossel-Winterthur
10 parts of chlorate of potassium
7 parts of sulphate of lead
2.5 2.9 parts of tersulphide of antimony
2.5 parts of gelatine
2. According to Kalliwoda
7 parts of sulphite of lead
10 parts of chlorate of potassium
3 parts of tersulphide of antimony
0-25 parts of glass
44.7%
31.2%
12.9%
11.2%
31.5%
44.9%
13.5%
1.1
2 parts of gelatine
9.0%
These ignition substances however suffer from the drawback that they will ignite
sulphur but not paraffin (see Muspratt "Techn. Chemie " third edition 7th volume
page 2335-2338 and Wladimir Jettel "Zundwarenfabrikation 1897 pages 87 to 89).
These substances ignite only at a temperature of 142-161° C., and require therefore
for ignition a very sharp friction plate; and in order to ensure a more rapid ignition
the addition of a small quantity of amorphous phosphorus is required. They also
suffer from the drawback, that whilst not being hygroscopic, they are sensitive to
humidity.
The inventor has succeeded in producing an ignition material for matches which
is without these disadvantages. The mass ignites paraffin very easily, at a tempera-
ture of 90-100° C. and does not therefore require a sharp friction plate, nor the
addition of amorphous phosphorus to ensure ignition; it will easily ignite on the
coat sleeve and on polished and other surfaces, produces no disagreeable smell and
is not affected by damp.
These advantages are obtained by the mixture of one or more salts of polythionic
acids (di-, tri-, tetra-, pentathionic acids) or of salts of acids which are produced by
oxidation from the said acids or from thiosulphuric acid or from the salts thereof,
with a salt (or salts) which easily yields its oxygen.
For instance, thiosulphate of sodium (Na2S2O) in a weak acid or neutral solution,
is oxidised by a corresponding quantity of copper chloride introduced to it, precipi-
tating cuprous chloride according to the following equation
2 CuC1, + 2 Na„S,O=2 CuC1 + 2 NaCl + Na„SO
CuCl +2 Na.S.O. + BaC1.= 4 NaCl + CuBaS.O.
This precipitate is not affected in the air. Besides this, small quantities of
trithionic acid (H,S,O) are produced, as is always the case when salts of thio-sulphuric
acid are oxidised (Ginelin Kraut, Anorg. Chemie 2nd volume first. part, page 40-41)
and probably there are also formed some double salts of dithionic acid (H₂S₂O) and
pentathionic acid (H₂SO) besides Barium salts of polythionic acid, a re-action which
may be expected considering the close relationship the above acids, and the ease with 4
which they can be changed into one another, for instance-pentathionic acid into
tetrathionic acid, and from tetrathionic acid into trithionic acid (Rose, Chimie Analy-
tique 1859 1st volume pages 484 and 486) and the more so since plaster of Paris is

page_text: added to the ignition substance, whereby a further change of the above polythionic
acids into an insoluble sulphite of barium and into calcium copper sub-oxide and
calcium salts takes place.
For the oxidation of the salts of thio sulphuric acid, also other suitable bodies such
as chloride of iron, iodine and the like may be used, producing by such combinations
similar salts and double salts formed by the polytinionic acids with other bases.
The following represents by way of example a composition of a very suitable
ignition material.
In addition to 10-15% of the barium copper salts produced in the manner
described above, the composition contains-
9-10.5% of plaster of Paris.
3.7-3.8% of sulphur.
3.7 51% of iron pyrites.
11-12% gelatine, and
57.5 59.0% of chlorate of potassium.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The production of an ignition material for matches and for the purposes
characterised by the mixture of a salt easily evolving oxygen with one or more salts
of the polythionic acids (di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-thionic acids) or of salts of acids
which are obtained, by oxidation, from said acids or from thiosulphuric acid or from
the salts thereof substantially as described.
2. An ignition material for matches comprising a mixture of barium-copper salt,
sulphur, iron pyrites, gelatine, chlorate of potassium and plaster of Paris, substantially
as described.
Dated this 7th day of July 1800
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.