Lighting a matchstick
Chemical change: production of energy (light)
Lighting a matchstick involves a chemical reaction called combustion. The matchstick consists of three main components: the head, the stem, and the base. The head contains chemicals like potassium chlorate, sulfur, and powdered glass. The stem is made of wood, and the base is coated with a small amount of wax.
When the matchstick is struck against the striking surface, the friction causes heat to generate. The heat generated breaks the chemical bonds in the head of the match and converts the solid chemicals into gases.
As the gases produced ignite, they generate more heat, causing the wax on the base of the matchstick to melt. The wax then soaks into the wood stem and ignites, producing a flame.
So, in summary, lighting a matchstick is a chemical reaction that involves the breakage of chemical bonds in the match head due to friction, leading to the production of gases and heat, which ignite the matchstick and produce a flame.
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