- Pyrotechnic colorant
A Pyrotechnic colorant is a
chemical compound which causes aflame to burn with a particularcolor . These are used to create the colors in fireworks. Some common examples are:Colour Compound name Chemical formula Red Strontium nitrate SrNO3 Red Strontium carbonate SrCO3 Orange Calcium chloride CaCl2 Orange Hydrated calcium sulfate CaSO4(H2O)x* Gold/Yellow Charcoal powderC Gold/Yellow Iron powder withcarbon Fe+C Gold/Yellow Sodium nitrate NaNO3 Gold/Yellow Cryolite Na3AlF6 Green Barium chloride BaCl2 Green Barium carbonate BaCO3 Green Barium nitrate Ba(NO3)2 Green Barium oxalate BaC2O4 Blue Copper(I) chloride CuCl Blue Copper(II) oxide CuO Blue Copper carbonate CuCO3 Purple Combination of red and blue compounds Sr+Cu Purple Rubidium compounds (rarely used)Rb Silver/White Aluminium powderAl Silver/White Magnesium powderMg Silver/White Titanium powderTi Silver/White Antimony (III) sulfide Sb2S3 The * indicates that the compound will burn orange where x=0,2,3,5.
The color blue is notoriously difficult to produce in fireworks, as the
copper compounds need to be heated at a specific temperature for the optimal shade of blue to be produced. Thus, a deep, rich blue is usually viewed as the mark of an experienced fireworks maker.
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