Match Head Ignition — Thermal Decomposition at 4:1
102.53 €
A match head at the moment of ignition — the potassium chlorate and antimony sulfide thermal decomposition flash photographed at 4:1 macro in the first 0.001 seconds, the flame plasma showing its violet potassium emission spectrum.
Description
Match ignition photography at macro scale captures a chemical event that is invisible at normal viewing scale: the first millisecond of the potassium chlorate decomposition produces a plasma emission that is spectrally distinct from the subsequent carbon combustion of the matchstick — the potassium emission at 766nm producing a characteristic violet flame in the initial flash that transitions to the orange-yellow of sodium and carbon combustion as the burn progresses. This image was made at 4:1 macro reproduction using a precision trigger system that fired at the moment of head contact with the striking surface, the xenon flash at 1/15,000 second freezing the initial plasma formation. The match head’s head material is visible in the process of decomposition — the glowing plasma cloud extends from the head surface, its violet-to-blue colour communicating the potassium-dominated initial combustion chemistry before the organic materials catch.
