Have you ever wondered what the fireworks is, when was discovered and what is needed for color of fireworks?
Of course, again for all is responsible chemistry ....
Gunpowder was the most famous discovery of Chinese alchemists and significantly influenced the development of civilization. Some recipes from the beginning of the 4th century contain mixed potassium nitrate and sulfur . The first recipes for gunpowder or "fire chemical", with coal as a third ingredient, were published in 1044. The "Collection of the most important military technique".
This demonstrates that the use of gunpowder was followed soon after its discovery.
The Chinese gunpowder has been used for fireworks already in the 12th century, primarily for marking important events such as birth, birth or death.
Sometimes fireworks were also used for ritual purposes to scare away evil spirits. Chinese New Year was almost always celebrated with fireworks.
In the 13th century, except military exhortations and trade caravans, Christian priests and monks also played a significant role in the gunpowder knowledge transfer (although the Arabs had a recipe for the gunpowder in about 1270 years A.D)
Over time in the Old Continent begins to use fireworks to mark various events.
Today fireworks use rockets in which the gunpowder with the addition of metal compounds becomes colored spectacles.
Such missiles must be tested in isolated places until adequate safety is achieved.
Fireworks can be extremely dangerous and must be approached with extreme caution.
What do you need for a fireworks rocket?
Each fireworks rocket contains several basic ingredients.
As fuel most commonly is used gunpowder dust , ie. The mixture of potassium nitrate (75%), sulfur (10%) and charcoal (15%). As oxidizing agents most commonly used chemical compounds - nitrates, chlorates and perchlorates. Their role is to provide enough oxygen during the missile firing. Some oxidants also contain chlorine (chlorate perchlorates) and are also donors of chlorine. Specific chemical compounds give their own color to explosions in fireworks. These are the most common salts of various metals - chlorides, carbonates, sulphates, chlorates and nitrates. As the binder of the specified ingredients usually used dextrin, polysaccharide mixture formed by partial digestion of the starch. In pyrotechnics it is useful because it slows down, but also supports burning.
Where are the different colors of fireworks?
For red fireworks, strontium salts - strontium nitrate, strontium carbonate, strontium sulphate and strontium chloride - and blue-brown copper salts such as copper (I) chloride are deserved.
Orange fireworks are produced using calcium salts - calcium carbonate, calcium chloride and calcium sulphate, and a shade of salient sodium salt - sodium bicarbonate, sodium nitrate and sodium chloride.
The green color of the fireworks comes from barley salts: barium nitrate, barium carbonate, barium chloride and barium chlorate.
The purple color of the fireworks is generated by the use of a mixture of copper and strontium salts, while the white and silver colors are obtained by burning elemental magnesium, aluminum and titanium.