Thursday, July 4, 2013

Science: Firework Chemistry


The chemistry of 4th July fireworks goes something like this.  Sodium produces yellow/gold colors. Barium creates green, copper compounds produce blue, strontium salts give you red and titanium metals give you silver coloured sparks.

Other commonly used chemicals are carbon which provides the fuel, oxidizers which produce oxygen for burning, magnesium which increases the overall brilliance and brightness, antimony that gives you a “glitter" effect and calcium which deepens the colors.

Learn more about the chemistry of fireworks at the Huffington Post and LiveScience.com.



Professor Chris Bishop, presenter of the 2008 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, gives a family lecture on the history of the modern firework.

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