The crushed leaves and roots have a scent of the oil of wintergreen (Methyl salicylate).
The compound methyl salicylate was first isolated (from the plant Gaultheria procumbens) in 1843 by the French chemist Auguste André Thomas Cahours (1813-1891), who identified it as an ester of salicylic acid and methanol.
methyl salicylate | Methyl-CpG-binding domain | Poly (methyl methacrylate) | Methyl tert-butyl ether | Methyl Salicylate | Methyl salicylate | Methyl red | Methyl diethanolamine | Methyl caffeate | methyl | 4-Methyl-2-pentanol |
Active ingredients are typically Menthol and Methyl Salicylate but could also include more exotic ingredients like cayenne.
Most commercial root beers have replaced the sassafras extract with methyl salicylate, the ester found in wintergreen and black birch (Betula lenta) bark.
Wint-O-Green Life Savers work especially well for creating such sparks, because wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) is fluorescent and converts ultraviolet light into blue light.