Fireworks Chemistry

Fireworks and What Makes Them Go

Sparks! Colors! Things that go BOOM! Chemistry doesn’t get much better than this. Ever notice how minutes drag on for hours when you’re waiting for a fireworks show to begin? Everyone’s thinking the same thing: The sky is dark enough the hot dogs are all eaten…come on when are they going to start? Then the first rockets streak into the sky…Ooh! Aah! Yes, it was worth the wait.
The birthplace of fireworks is generally recognized as China.
The first explosive mixture was black powder, during the Sung dynasty (960-1279). It is said that a cook in ancient China found a mixture of sulfur, potassium nitrate, and charcoal was very flammable and would explode if enclosed in a small space (History
Well it’s all pyrotechnics, which are chemical substances that produce light and smoke when ignited. Pyrotechnics are also used in flares, smoke bombs, explosives, and matches. An aerial fire work is a rocket made of a cylinder, chemicals inside the cylinder, and fuses attached to the cylinder. The chemical mixture that makes up a firework is black gunpowder, which is potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. When ignited this mixture makes a small explosion. Also when these three chemicals react with one another they produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide (How Fireworks Work). These gases expand very rapidly lifting the rocket into the
Heat causes a substance to become hot and glow, initially emitting infrared, then red, orange, yellow, and white light as it becomes increasingly hotter (Making Light). When the temperature of a firework is controlled the glow of components, such as charcoal, can be manipulated to be the desired color at the proper time. Some metals, such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium, burn very brightly and are useful for increasing the temperature of the firework (Making Light). Luminescence
Luminescence is light produced using energy sources other than heat. Sometimes luminescence is called cold light because it can occur at room temperature and lower temperatures. (Making Light) To produce luminescence, energy is absorbed by an electron of an atom or molecule, causing it to become excited, but unstable. When the electron returns to a lower energy state the energy is released in the form of a photon. The energy of a photon determines wavelength or color. Pure colors require pure ingredients. Even trace amounts of sodium impurities (yellow-orange) are enough to overpower or alter other colors. Careful formulation is required so that too much smoke or residue doesn’t mask the color. With fireworks, as with other things, cost often relates to quality. Skill of the manufacturer, and date the firework was produced greatly affect the final display. Some colors that you can make