Pyrophorus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the genus of beetles with this name, see Pyrophorus (beetle).

The term pyrophorus (Gr. "fire" + "to bear") refers to a substance which spontaneously inflames on contact with the air; one of yellow color and blue fluorescence. In early use, the term was applied specifically to Homberg's pyrophorus, a substance made by heating alum with lampblack, flour, starch, or sugar.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.