How Are Colors In Fireworks Produced?
Daniel A. Parra
Mr. Reimer
Honors Chemistry, 5th
10/25/11
‘Cause Baby, You’re a Firework How are the colors in fireworks produced? When I first thought about where the colors from fireworks came from, I thought that they came from food coloring that was mixed with gun powder. Also, from previous knowledge that I had about how neon lights were formed, I imagined that the electrons got excited when they got some sort of voltage or energy, and I also knew that when they got relaxed they emitted energy known as photons or light. However, this does not explain the colors in a firework. I also did not know that it was possible to use something other than electricity to excite the electrons. To start my experiment, I and my group followed these steps. My group put on their goggles, carefully turned the Bunsen burner on, and we burned one of the wet popsicle sticks …show more content…
These electrons inside of the shell model get excited because, like electricity in neon lights, fire is applied to the atom. This thermic energy found inside of the fire causes the electrons to go on to higher energy levels. The electrons after a while prefer to go back to their original energy level, and this energy that was once absorbed by the fire is now being released by this process. The energy comes out in the form of photons or light. The color just varies from chemical to chemical. Also, the wavelength determines the color that the fireworks have because the colors change in the electromagnetic spectrum. As observed by my data all of the salt’s wavelengths correspond to the specific color that they burned on the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, Copper Chloride burned green when placed on the fire. This corresponds to the color green on the electromagnetic spectrum, which is around 525nm wavelength. However, this energy was not produced by the chemical reaction; it was only transformed by
Mr. Reimer
Honors Chemistry, 5th
10/25/11
‘Cause Baby, You’re a Firework How are the colors in fireworks produced? When I first thought about where the colors from fireworks came from, I thought that they came from food coloring that was mixed with gun powder. Also, from previous knowledge that I had about how neon lights were formed, I imagined that the electrons got excited when they got some sort of voltage or energy, and I also knew that when they got relaxed they emitted energy known as photons or light. However, this does not explain the colors in a firework. I also did not know that it was possible to use something other than electricity to excite the electrons. To start my experiment, I and my group followed these steps. My group put on their goggles, carefully turned the Bunsen burner on, and we burned one of the wet popsicle sticks …show more content…
These electrons inside of the shell model get excited because, like electricity in neon lights, fire is applied to the atom. This thermic energy found inside of the fire causes the electrons to go on to higher energy levels. The electrons after a while prefer to go back to their original energy level, and this energy that was once absorbed by the fire is now being released by this process. The energy comes out in the form of photons or light. The color just varies from chemical to chemical. Also, the wavelength determines the color that the fireworks have because the colors change in the electromagnetic spectrum. As observed by my data all of the salt’s wavelengths correspond to the specific color that they burned on the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, Copper Chloride burned green when placed on the fire. This corresponds to the color green on the electromagnetic spectrum, which is around 525nm wavelength. However, this energy was not produced by the chemical reaction; it was only transformed by