THE CHEMISTRY OF FIREWORKS

Calin Daniel Coserea Andrei

 For centuries fireworks have been a source of delight and amazement in cultures around the world. But what produces their dazzling array of effects?

Fireworks need a source of combustible material for energy such as black powder, a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate , or smokeless powder such as cellulose nitrate. In addition, fireworks contain substances that give off bright, colorful light when heated. A common example of such material is sodium in table salt. If salt is sprinkled into a flame, an orange color appears. The colored flame is a result of electrons in sodium ions absorbing energy and moving up to higher energy levels and then falling back to their ground state, emitting specific amounts of energy that correspond to colors of light.

 Chemical ingredients of fireworks are chosen to produce specific colors. Barium compounds produce green colors when heated, copper salts produce green and blue flames, sodium salts are yellow in flame, lithium compounds produce red colors, magnesium metal produces brilliant white light when burned, and strontium compounds produce brilliant red colors. Salts used contain both metallic cations and nonmetallic anions . Chemical Element as chlorates,Produced Color perchlorates, Anions such sodium yellow and nitrates also contribute oxidizing power to the chemical mixture. barium green strontium red blue copper

 The Chemistry of fireworks is based on the simple theory of combustion. The composition inside the firework must however contain 6 vital ingredients:

 Fuel Charcoal, commonly known in the pyrotechnic industry as black powder is the most common fuel used in fireworks. Normally, all fuels will contain an organic element such as charcoal or thermite. Oxidising Agents The function of the oxidising agent is to produce the oxygen needed in order for the mixture inside the firework to burn. These oxidisers can be nitrates, chlorates or perchlorates. Regulators Metals can be added to regulate the speed at which the reaction. The larger the surface area of the metal, the faster the reaction will proceed (collision theory). Colouring Agents Different chemicals are used to produce different coloured fireworks. Binders Binders are used to hold what is essentially the mixture of the firework together in a paste like mixture. The most commonly used binder is known as dextrin, a type of starch which holds the composition together. The binders do not actually begin to work

 Incandescence Incandescence is a simple chemical reaction. When an object gets hot, it changes and gives off light. In a firework, solid or liquid particles are heated to very high temperatures. These particles emit radiation, and the higher the temperature, the shorter the wavelength of the emissions. This goes towards the blue end of the color spectrum, and is responsible for the bright white colors,