The fuel is a source of electrons, something that stores energy, and it will be burned in the course of the explosion. A chemical reaction, typically combustion, is occurring through reaction of the fuel with an oxidizer. The oxidizer is receiving the electrons; upon reaction with the oxidizer, energy is released, and the electrons are transferred from one to the other.
You just need a spark under that situation to get the reaction moving to convert all of that fuel, and oxidizer, into the products. You want the firework to go off at an appointed time, so by using the binder you can engineer the explosion and timing together with other explosions in the show. Why do different metals burn in different colors? That combination of factors gives rise to specific sets of characteristics for a given metal. As we traverse the periodic table, elements get heavier, and that will also contribute to the relative energy levels that are associated with the distribution of electrons, which will also change the color at which these elements emit light.
Why are the metals in salt form? The firework is primarily a combination of compounds to provide the explosion, and the metal salts are additives that give you different colors. The process involves releasing the energy stored within the atoms of a certain element.
When atoms are exposed to light, which comes in the form of energy, their electrons become "excited. However, the electron cannot stay in an excited state forever. When the electron moves from the excited state back to its base "normal" state, the energy it was holding onto is released externally.
The energy is released at a specific wavelength, depending on the element being burned, that corresponds to a color on the visible light spectrum that we can see with the naked eye.
Essentially, the color you see from a firework is the energy released from an electron as it is cooling down. There are hundreds of different color combinations, but to just mention a few: copper oxide emits a blue color when ignited, strontium chloride produces red, sodium silicate produces yellow, magnesium and aluminum produce white, and barium acetate produces green.
The shape of the explosion mainly comes down to the construction of the aerial shells and the stars within them. According to Julie Heckman of the American Pyrotechnics Association, just inserting a piece of cardboard into the shell while making sure the stars are arranged around it will force the stars to explode in an outward pattern.
What really matters, however, is the placement of the stars within the shell. If the stars are arranged in a certain shape within the shell itself, and if they are all ignited at the same time, the firework will look like that original shape.
In order to distract viewers from error, however, many pyrotechnic mechanics will launch several at once to mask any that may have not come out correctly. The next time you are able to watch a fireworks display, keep track of the colors you see. The variety of elements used will always surprise you! CBS News. Yana Paskova. Takeo Shimizu. Pyrotechnica Publications.
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Film TV Games. Fortnite Game of Thrones Books. This maximises the probability of reaction of the oxidiser as it is brought into the close proximity of the flame. The function of the oxidising agent is to produce the oxygen needed in order for the mixture inside the firework to burn. These oxidisers can be nitrates, chlorates or perchlorates. On the contrary, Chlorates get completely reduced as they are better oxidising agents and so cause an even more spectacular reaction.
This however does cause the reaction to become extremely explosive. Perchlorates contain even more oxygen but are less likely to explode than chlorates due to their increase in stability. They follow the reaction below:. The second part to a firework is the reducing agent.
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