Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Exactly where Do Fireworks Get Their Colors

By Alva Zambo


Fireworks illuminate the sky during celebrations; they provide a wonderful show of color and shapes that fascinate the eyes and minds of many. The good thing about the display often leads many to wonder the location where the colors come from. The short answer is that they are the result of the burning of metals put in these explosives. These metals are components of the periodic table that burn at a specific temperature and give off colors at their melting points.

A few of the popular metals for fireworks include: Lithium, Rubidium, Strontium, Copper, Aluminium, Magnesium, Beryllium, Antimony, Titanium and others. Burning these gives a wide variety of colors and makers of those products combine them in line with the type of display they want. Here are specific examples of the different colors given by different elements.

Red displays result from Lithium, Rubidium and Strontium. These metals give different intensities in color and some even play other roles. Lithium and Rubidium are metals in group one of the periodic table. Lithium gives a medium beautiful red colors and is most useful, for this purpose in the carbonate form. Rubidium on the other hand gives a deep red/ violet-red flame and is also used to oxidize the mixtures over these explosives; without oxidation, they will not burn properly. Strontium burns with an intense red but it also gets the job of stabilizing the sun and rain used to make the fireworks.

Blue displays result from Copper. Surely there are many who've seen a copper flame test in chemistry class, it is the same concept with these pyrotechnics, except on the much larger scale. Copper burns at low temperatures to generate a blue-green color and its halides form other shades of blue.

Green displays come from Barium. This is a group two metal which is placed in many of these explosives, not just for his or her color but because it also forms a protective element. It will help to stabilize the more volatile metals and other elements.

Yellow displays come from Sodium and Iron. The yellow color produced when sodium is burnt is extremely intense, it has the ability to overshadow those that may not be as bright. The power of the yellow color made by Iron on the other hand is dependent on the temperature from the flame.

White displays result from many metals including: Aluminium, Magnesium, Beryllium, Antimony and Titanium. These metals are utilized, depending on the effect one desires to create. For a glittering effect, the natural choice is Antimony, while a sparkling effect is done by Aluminium and Magnesium. Titanium produces really a silver spark but it often looks white and so many classify it as burning using a white flame.

One of the most important top features of modern fireworks is the color display. Without them, the awe is almost lost. By utilizing these metals, manufacturers create pyrotechnic explosives that entertain and offer joy to many at celebrations. Each of the aforementioned metals has their own melting point and with it they offer magnificent displays of color. The proper combination often creates a stellar display.




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