Ferrocerium

Ferrocerium is a pyrophoric alloy, usually based on cerium and iron, that emits hot sparks when scraped. It is used in fire-starting devices and some lighters.

Pyrophoricity: The property of a substance that ignites spontaneously or burns rapidly when exposed to air. Fresh ferrocerium particles react rapidly with oxygen after scraping.
Firesteel: A rod of ferrocerium scraped with a hard edge to produce sparks for fire starting. The firesteel is the standard hand-operated application of ferrocerium.
Carl Auer von Welsbach: An Austrian chemist and inventor who developed gas mantles and an early mischmetal-based lighter flint. His work on rare-earth alloys led to the spark-producing material that became ferrocerium.
Flint: A hard sedimentary rock composed mainly of microcrystalline silica, historically used to strike sparks from steel. Traditional flint-and-steel sparks come from abraded steel, unlike ferrocerium sparks from burning alloy particles.
Oxidation: A chemical process in which a substance loses electrons, often through reaction with oxygen. Oxidation of tiny scraped particles releases the heat and light of ferrocerium sparks.
Flint spark lighter: A lighter mechanism in which a rough wheel scrapes a pyrophoric rod to create ignition sparks. Many gas and liquid-fuel lighters use ferrocerium rods in this mechanism.
Mischmetal: An alloy of rare-earth metals, chiefly cerium and lanthanum, often containing smaller amounts of other elements. Mischmetal supplied the rare-earth base for early lighter flints and many ferrocerium alloys.
Steel: An iron-based alloy whose carbon content and processing give it useful strength and hardness. Ordinary steel can strike sparks from flint but is generally less pyrophoric than ferrocerium.
Pyrophoric alloy: A metal alloy that ignites or reacts intensely in air, especially as finely divided particles. Ferrocerium belongs to alloys whose ignition behavior depends strongly on particle size.
Tinder: Dry, easily ignited material used to catch a flame or sustain an initial ember. Ferrocerium sparks are directed onto tinder, which catches and transfers ignition.

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PyriteCompared with: Unlike ferrocerium, pyrite produces sparks through friction with hard flint.