(Describer) Title: Bite-Scized Science.
“Sized” is spelled s-c-i-hyphen-z-e-d.
(female describer)
Title: "Bite Sci-zed Science"
Sci-zed is spelled
S-c-i hyphen z-e-d.
Before I begin this video,
I want to note that the title
is not "Fun With Matches"
or "Playing With Fire,"
because matches are not a toy.
But they are a tool.
And I believe if you're
going to use a tool,
you should understand
the science behind it.
And I know that you guys
are too smart for me to have
to make this announcement.
But I do just have to say--
please, do not play with matches
or any other kind of fire
for that matter.
With that out of the way,
let's get onto the science.
So why do we find matches
and fire to be so intriguing?
At least for me, I think
it comes from the fact
that I take two things which
are both cold and dark,
and when I strike them together
I create both light and heat.
(Describer) A flame.
And there's something
about that process
that has an almost magical,
intangible quality to it.
So why does it happen?
First, let's look at the anatomy
of the objects in question.
First, we have our matchstick.
Now, the match head has
three important components--
sulfur, an oxidizing
agent, potassium
chlorate, and powdered glass.
Next we have our
striking surface.
This contains sand, some more
glass, and red phosphorus.
When you strike the match
quickly against the surface,
the friction between the
two, enhanced by that glass
and sand, causes a little
bit of the red phosphorus
to turn into white
phosphorus vapor.
This spontaneously ignites.
And its heat decomposes
the oxidizing agent,
potassium chlorate,
liberating oxygen, which
helps to keep the flame going.
At this point, the
sulfur starts to burn,
which ignites the
wood of the match.
I should note that
this isn't just
any old chunk of wood either.
Matchsticks are often
made from aspen,
which is both strong and
flexible enough for the job.
They've been infused with
ammonium phosphate which
helps to prevent smoldering
after you blow out the flame.
They've also been dipped
in paraffin wax which
helps the flame to travel
evenly down the matchstick.
Now, these are safety
matches, but they're also
strike anywhere matches.
Which are the same
principle, they just
have the red phosphorus
in the match head as well.
It's everything all
packed into one piece
so you can strike it
against any hard surface.
Now, after you light
a match, there's
(Describer) She lights another match, then blows out the flame.
a very distinctive smell.
And that smell, a little
bit like rotten eggs,
is sulfur dioxide.
And it's produced when
the sulfur and the oxygen
combine and burn.
And we can write the
chemical equation
for this as sulfur plus
oxygen yields sulfur dioxide.
An everyday tool
that I bet you didn't
know the science behind.
Go forth.
Do science.
