An "excessively high chlorate content" was detected in cans ... Chlorates are salts of chloric acid — a compound containing chlorine and oxygen, also known as an oxoacid or oxyacid.

To the upper right we have very pure potassium chlorate, so much so that it bursts into flames when mixed with sugar and catalyzed with some sulfuric acid. [Mr. Home Scientist] produced the ...

An easier, albeit vastly more expensive and dangerous alternative came in the 19th century when chemists discovered auto-ignition using a potassium chlorate mixture and sulfuric acid. This method ...