Marc Charles Sauria (25 April 1812 – 22 August 1895)[1] was a French chemist credited for inventing phosphorus-based matches in 1830–1831.

[2] Several events are believed to have led Sauria to his discovery, including the hydrogen lighter introduced in 1827 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and the demonstration by his chemistry professor Nicolet where a powder mixture of potassium chlorate and sulfur was detonated by a blow.

During a long series of experiments, Sauria went on to add white phosphorus that helped ignite the mixture by friction.

[3] Sauria was a poor student at the time; however, Nicolet communicated his invention to German industrialist Friedrich Kammerer who had patented it and used it in mass production of matches.

[4] The British chemist John Walker had introduced a very similar match some five years earlier, where he used antimony sulfide instead of white phosphorus.