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Chemistry / Re: What are firelighters made from, and how do they work?
« on: 07/12/2017 10:37:31 »Dearest Chums Who Raise My Eyebrows !!
Firelighters !!..those white blocky things of incendiary burning joy that when lit burn slow and forever !!...what are they made from ?...and why do they burn so slow !! ?
Thank EWE !!
I know this post is over 10 years old, but I don't think it's really been answered, so for those still looking...
Firelighters are mostly kerosene with a urea/formaldehyde resin made into an emulsion with water. A hardener is used also but I have no idea what that is. Talc is also added sometimes to increase the burn duration.
Making an emulsion from kerosene and water give the white colour in much the same way as the eggs/oil/vinegar emulsion that we know as mayonnaise. The water provides a heat sink and prevents the entire thing burning all at once. Kerosene and parrafin are two names for the same thing but parrafin wax used in candles has a higher melting point and less odour but is significantly harder to ignite.