2022-10-24 03:59:02
How do Fireworks get their colours?
Fireworks have an outside shell that’s called a mortar. It can be made of many things including cardboard, papier-mache or plastic.
Inside the mortar are compartments. The bottom compartment is filled with black powder (potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur) that will be the fuel for the firework.
The top compartment contains the pyrotechnic stars that make the colors and shapes we love to see. The stars are made of a fuel that burns and minerals and metals pressed together provide the color. The way the stars are arranged in the mortar provides the shape of the firework, like ovals, stars or rectangles.
Stars contain five basic types of ingredients.
• A fuel which allows the star to burn
• An oxidizer—a compound which produces (usually) oxygen to support the combustion of the fuel
• Color-producing chemicals
• A binder which holds the pellet together.
• A chlorine donor which provides chlorine to strengthen the color of the flame. Sometimes the oxidizer can serve this purpose.
Some of the more common color-producing compounds are Barium which produces bright greens; strontium yields deep reds; copper produces blues; and sodium yields yellow. Other colors can be made by mixing elements: strontium and sodium produce brilliant orange; titanium, zirconium, and magnesium alloys make silvery white; copper and strontium make lavender. Gold sparks are produced by iron filings and small pieces of charcoal. Bright flashes and loud bangs come from aluminum powder.
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