Fireworks and Chemical Reaction

Did you see the fireworks on New Year's Eve 2024? It was beautiful, wasn't it, where they exploded into each other above the sky? According to legend in China, the tradition of setting off fireworks dates back to the reign of the Han Dynasty in 200 BC, long before the invention of gunpowder. It is related to the name of the mountain creature Nian. Nian comes out of the mountain every Chinese new year, disrupting the new year celebrations. It will eat them! Then the people made explosive sounds from bamboo, which they called baouzhu, to drive the Nian away. From then on, firecrackers were used in every Chinese festival and celebration, such as Chinese New Year.

In the Sung era (960-1279), a priest named Li Tian discovered gunpowder near the town of Liu Yang in Hunan Province. This made fireworks better. At the same time, a firework factory was established, which served as the basis for the manufacture of fireworks, which emitted incandescent and colorful flames in the sky. Hunan Province is still famous as the world's largest producer of fireworks.

Fireworks have changed in the past. We used paper rolls instead of bamboo. La also entered Europe through Marcopolo, who in 1292 brought some fireworks from China to Italy. John Roach, writing in National Geographic News on July 4, 2003, said that Italy was the first country in Europe to make firecrackers and fireworks, and it is considered the first country in Europe to make more interesting fireworks.

Fireworks have been used in Indonesia since the days of the Majapahit Kingdom, when gunpowder weapon technology was introduced and considered part of religious rituals and traditional ceremonies. Firecworks were used in ceremonies and traditional medical practices in Java. During the Dutch colonization of Indonesia, firecrackers became popular among the people as they were considered a symbol of resistance to the colonizing authority. They resisted by throwing firecrackers at the Dutch troops.

 However, the use of fireworks increased after Indonesian independence. Images began to be used as entertainment and attractions at various events, such as weddings, birthdays, and of course during Ramadan and Lebaran. Indonesians have a special meaning for paintings made during Ramadan and Lebaran. Fireworks, apart from being used as entertainment, are also considered a symbol of joy and victory for the month of fasting and Ramadan worship. On Lebaran day, firecrackers are considered a symbol of joy and satisfaction after a month of fasting.

Setting off fireworks is an Indonesian tradition that is often done during Lebaran celebrations. It has become an inseparable part of the culture, where children and adults alike participate in celebrating this event by throwing firecrackers and fireworks. The tradition of setting off fireworks has long existed in Indonesian society, and along with the increasing use of firecrackers and fireworks, it has become an integral part of the culture.

Now that you know the history of fireworks, have you ever wondered how fireworks explode, make noise, and produce different colors? Did you know that fireworks are closely related to chemical reactions? The chemical processes that result in the sound, light, and smoke phenomena are what connect fireworks with chemistry. An oxidizer, fuel, and binder are the usual ingredients in a chemical mixture that causes an explosive reaction in a firework. The firework makes an explosive bang and shoots into the air when it is lighted because of the mixture's quick combustion, which releases a lot of hot gasses.

Of course when we see fireworks exploding in the sky, we will be amazed at the beauty of the fireworks. but has it ever crossed our minds how can these firecrackers explode? what materials are used? what ingredients and chemical reactions are contained in the fireworks so that the fireworks can explode? why can the colors produced from fireworks explosions be different?

According to ChemistryIsLife Fireworks require many ingredients to make. The main one is black powder. Black powder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and salt-peter (potassium nitrate) in a weight ratio of 75-15-10. It provides fireworks with explosive properties and thrust. The color hue of this powder is a result of the many components it contains. In addition, flash powder may be required, depending on the type of fireworks used. Aluminum, sulfur, and potassium chlorate make up flash powder. Even a small amount will cause a loud noise and a powerful explosion if put into a container.

Potassium nitrate provides the oxygen necessary for the combustion of the fuel, while the binder helps hold the mixture together. When the firecracker is lit, the heat from the ignition source causes the oxidizer and fuel to react, producing a rapid release of energy in the form of heat and light. The colors produced by fireworks are also a result of specific chemical compounds, such as metal salts, which produce vibrant colors when ignited. Overall, the use of firecrackers and fireworks involves a variety of chemical principles, including combustion, oxidation-reduction reactions, and the use of specific chemical compounds to produce colorful light effect

-The Colour Variations

The color produced in fireworks can vary, this can occur because the chemical content in fireworks is different. According to Kompas, atoms jump around in their orbits as a result of heating or burning. These jumps release light with specific wavelengths and use a lot of energy. The wavelength of the light produced varies based on the energy each atom in the chemical has. The color of fireworks and the components that make them up are represented by light.

Orange

Orange fireworks are made by calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) salts, which are the easiest colors to make. Calcium salts, namely calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4), are used to make orange fireworks because they burn with an orange hue. Pyrotechnic bursts, which are made up of five main components color-producing compounds, fuel, oxidizer, binder, and chlorine donor are what give pyrotechnics their hues.

The substances that give orange fireworks their color are calcium salts like calcium sulfate and chloride. These salts are simple to prepare and burn to the perfect orange color. Various chemical compounds are used to make the other colors of pyrotechnics, like red from strontium salts, yellow from sodium salts, green from barium salts, blue from copper salts, and purple from a mixture of red and blue compounds.

These hues are simple to create since they stem from the chemical characteristics of the substances, which burn to release excess energy in the form of photons, or light. The colors of pyrotechnics are caused by the various light wavelengths that these substances release.

Red

The red color of fireworks is also easy to make. The bright red color of fireworks comes from the compound strontium carbonate (SrCO3), while the more intense red color is produced by lithium carbonate (Li2CO3). The red hue of fireworks can be easily produced by adding strontium carbonate to the mixture, which gives the fireworks a bright red color. A substance that is frequently used in fireworks to create red hues is strontium carbonate. It is popular in pyrotechnic compositions because it functions as an acid neutralizer and can be used in conjunction with chlorine donors to produce red hues. Lithium carbonate is also utilized in a similar manner to give fireworks a deeper shade of red. Depending on the intended outcome and the individual application, the blend's exact composition varies.

The red hue is created when light is released from the ions, and each salt's unique metal ion is represented by the color of the light that is released. For instance, the hue deep red is produced by the lithium ion in lithium carbonate. Therefore, it is rather simple to generate the bright red color in fireworks when strontium and lithium carbonate are used.

Green

Green color in fireworks is produced by barium salts, such as barium nitrate, barium chloride, and barium chlorate. An oxidizer called barium nitrate is frequently used to add green color to fountains, fireworks, and other objects. Although barium chloride is poisonous, it is nevertheless employed in pyrotechnics to give them a vivid green hue. In green color compositions, barium chlorate is employed as an oxidizer to create strong greens. Barium chlorate burns with a fuel and emits a bright green light. When atoms of barium are ignited by a flame, they turn green.

Yellow

Cryolite and sodium nitrate work together to give explosions their yellow color. Sodium nitrate serves as both a yellow colorant and an oxidizer in pyrotechnics, creating a yellow flame. In contrast, cryolite is a common yellow pigment used in fireworks. The pyrotechnics' yellow hue is caused by the extra energy released by these substances when they ignite. Photons have various wavelengths in the visible range. Furthermore, it is well known that compounds containing sodium glow yellow in a flame. The metal cation mostly determines the flame's color, with the salt anion having very little direct effect. Therefore, the combination of sodium nitrate and cryolite leads to the production of the yellow color in fireworks.

Gold

Iron (Fe) combined with soot or charcoal does not give fireworks their golden hue. Fireworks that contain sodium have a yellow or gold tint. Sparks are created by iron, and the color of the sparks is determined by the metal's heat. On the other hand, there are a lot of blue lines and a few green lines in the Fe emission spectrum. Iron may not be employed as a pyro colorant because black-body radiation would outweigh any iron emissions in an arc-welding scenario.

When metal salts and explosives in fireworks react chemically with oxygen, smoke and gases like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide are released. These gases are some of the main greenhouse gases that cause climate change. These metal salts do not "burn up" in the explosion. Even yet, they remain metal atoms, and a large number of them become aerosols that contaminate the land, water, and air.

White

As summarized by Thought Co, Barium oxide and white metals like aluminum, titanium, and magnesium are used to make white fireworks because they burn brilliantly and raise the firework's temperature. The photon's energy defines its color or wavelength. The salts required to create the appropriate hue can occasionally be unstable. Since room temperature barium chloride (green) is unstable, barium needs to be mixed with a more stable substance (like chlorinated rubber). In this instance, the heat from burning the pyrotechnic mixture releases chlorine, which subsequently forms barium chloride and gives the scene its green hue. Three minerals are utilized to make gray and white fireworks: magnesium, zirconium, and titanium.

Silver

Fireworks get their silver hue by burning aluminum and magnesium. Magnesium burns to produce a bright white light that is utilized to enhance a fireworks display's overall brilliance or add white sparkles. In contrast, aluminum is utilized to create sparks and flames that are silver and white. Fireworks have a striking silver hue because of the extreme heat that causes the aluminum particles to react with the oxygen in the air, releasing a considerable quantity of energy in the form of heat and light. Hence, the silver hue of pyrotechnics is caused by the burning of magnesium and aluminum together.

Blue

Blue fireworks are a rare color. Think about it, have you ever seen blue fireworks? Because the blue color of fireworks derived from copper chloride is very difficult to make. In addition, the color is not very visible in the night sky. So, blue is often avoided for the color of the fireworks flame.

Copper chloride is the pigment that gives fireworks their blue hue. Blue light is produced when copper salts and chlorine sources are mixed to create copper(I) chloride. But copper chloride is brittle and begins to decompose at about a thousand degrees Fahrenheit, which is a problem for pyrotechnic formulations. Since a viable substitute has not been discovered, copper chloride continues to be the major ingredient used to make blue fireworks, despite its fragility. To overcome the drawbacks of copper chloride, substitute methods have been devised, such as the use of copper(I) iodide or copper(I) bromide in chlorine-free pyrotechnical mixes.

These other options entail adding more chemicals to improve the blue light's spectral purity. Although copper chloride is the main ingredient in blue fireworks, its brittleness and the potential formation of carcinogenic polychlorinated compounds have led to efforts to develop safer and more stable alternatives.