From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Colored fire
Colored fire
Colored fire is a common pyrotechnic effect used in stage • Ammonium nitrate
productions, fireworks and by fire performers the world • Barium nitrate
over. Generally, the color of a flame may be red, orange, • Barium chlorate
yellow, or white, and is dominated by blackbody radia- • Guanine nitrate
tion from soot and steam. When additional chemicals are • Potassium nitrate (saltpeter)
added to the fuel burning, their atomic emission spectra • Potassium chlorate
can affect the frequencies of visible light radiation emit- • Potassium perchlorate
ted - in other words, the flame will appear a different • Strontium nitrate
color dependent upon the chemical additives. Flame col- • Sodium nitrate
oring is also a good way to demonstrate how chemicals Many of these oxidizers also produce a colored flame by
change when subjected to heat and how they also change themselves.
the matter around them.
Pyrotechnicians will generally use metal salts to color
their flames. Specific combinations of fuels and co-sol-
See also
vents are required in order to dissolve the necessary • Flame test
chemicals. Color enhancers (usually chlorine donors) are
frequently added too, the most common of which is
polyvinyl chloride. A practical use of colored fire is the
References
flame test, where metal cations are tested by placing the
sample in a flame and analyzing the color produced. External links
• About.com: How To Color Fire
Flame colorants
Main article: Pyrotechnic colorant
Emitted colors depend on the electronic configuration of
the elements involved. Heat energy from the flame ex-
cites electrons to a higher quantum level, and the atoms
emit characteristic colors (photons with energies corre-
sponding to the visible spectrum) as they return to lower
energy levels.
Campfire colorants
Main article: Pyrotechnic composition
Flame colorants are becoming popular while camping.
Scouts and other outdoor enthusiasts have placed sec-
tions of copper pipe with holes drilled throughout and
stuffed with garden hose onto campfires to create a vari-
ety of flame colors. An easier and more accepted method
of coloring campfires has been fueled by commercial
products. These packages of flame colorants are tossed
onto a campfire or into a fireplace to produce effects.
Although these chemicals are very effective at im-
parting their color into an already existing flame, these
substances are not flammable alone. To produce a pow-
der or solid that, when lit, produces a colored flame, the
necessary steps are more complex. To get a powder to
burn satisfactorily, both a fuel and oxidizer will probably
be needed. Common oxidizers include
• Ammonium perchlorate
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Colored fire
Color Chemical Image
Carmine (Dark Red) Lithium chloride
Red Strontium chloride
Orange Calcium chloride
Yellow Sodium chloride (table salt) or Sodium carbonate
Yellowish Green Borax (Sodium Borate)
Green Copper(II) sulfate, Boric Acid
Blue Copper(I) chloride, Butane
Violet 3 parts Potassium sulfate, 1 part Potassium nitrate (saltpeter)
Purple Potassium chloride
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colored_fire&oldid=434220359"
Categories:
• Chemistry stubs
• Pyrotechnics
This page was last modified on 14 June 2011 at 11:34. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Mobile view
2