I think somebody posted on this a while ago, and I wanted to learn more.
Someone said that you can remove the striker strip from matchbooks and burn it to make a sort of greenish phosphorous. When said phosphorous is rubbed together between the fingers, it gives off smoke or something.
Could someone elaborate on this? I know how to make red phosphorous, do I burn that to make it?
Thanks!
PS what is the difference between red and white phosphorous?
Far as I know phosphorous is very dangerous & probably extrememly poisonous, so let’s not go there.
Your local magic shop has a gooey ointment that makes smoke rise from your fingertips. At least they did 30 years ago when I used to use it in my act.
I am not interested as much in the smoke part as much as the chemistry. I want to know what happpens to the phosphorous when it burns. Any chemists in the house?
Phosphorus on match book covers? I don’t think so. The only substance I have ever seen on covers resembles emery or sand paper. The phosphorus is contained in the heads of the matches.
So what are you making red phosphorus out of?
On paper matchbook strike strips there is red phosphorous. You remove it with acetone and you have it. However, this is one of the only ways to get it because some dipshit drug chemists use it to make speed.
The phosphorous and the sulfur contained in the match head react and light it. On strike-anywheres the sulfur and phosphorous are both contained in the tip.
when it was posted, the product of burning carefully harvested striker pads was called “green phosphorous” or somesuch.
it seemed kinda silly, but i never got around to trying it out. eh.
I hadn’t heard of this green form of phosphorus, and didn’t find anything about it, or phosphorus “finger smoke” in several internet searches. It sounds like it might be a trick that’s done with white phosphorus ?
that’s why i had quotes around it. i’d never heard of it, so i thought it was fake.
i cannot remember the thread, but people were describing neat stuff to do, like put liquid nitrogen in a two-liter bottle, allowing it to heat until the bottle explodes with a tremendous report.
Here’s how we did the smoke-from-the-fingertips trick when I was in college:
Peel off the red stiker strip from a matchbook. It must be very thin, with as little paper remaining as possible.
Get a silver quarter (this was a lot easier in the 70’s), and place the striker strip red side down on the quarter.
Ignite the striker strip, and allow to burn to ash. It will leave a brownish residue on the quarter.
Wipe the residue on your fingertips and rub them together, and it will produce wisps of smoke.
It is my understanding that the strike area has now been modified to discourage the gathering of red phosphorous (becuase of drug chemists), though I may be mistaken.
I am unsure about your use of the word “dipshit” here, red. It seems that you two are fundamentally after the same goal: namely, the possession of red phosphorous. 
It is used in one method of producing methamphetamines. As such, I would think that such discussion is frowned upon, regardless of your intentions. If you really want to know how to get it, I would check sources which explain meth production. Those dipshit chemists will explain clearly enough. 
Oh, I am already aware of how it is used to make amphetamines and the extraction process. I have a silver quarter, I might try that with the strip; I have a silver quarter lying around.