We can see Fireworks and firecrackers celebrations at different events all around the world. This custom has existed from the past thousands of years. So, you might think, “What is the chemistry behind firecrackers, How do firework works?” We should go to the development of firecrackers to find a solution to these questions.
How did the fireworks develop?
In the past, in the absence of gunpowder and paper, people used the sound of bursting fire from bamboo to drive away the gods, and the people longed for goodness.
Later, people continued to carry out various chemical tests and found that Potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal together could burn and explode and invent explosives. So people put the explosives in the bamboo tube and can produce a louder sound. Later, people invented the paper, and then the explosives were rolled into the paper to make firecrackers similar to the current ones.
The fireworks contain fireworks and fireworks, and the sparks in the sky are very pleasing to the eye.
How do fireworks work, the chemistry behind firecrackers
The traditional firecracker production process is divided into three parts, namely, gun body production, gunpowder production, and lead production.
The gun body is made by cutting the firecracker paper for the cylinder according to certain specifications.
The preparation of gunpowder is made by the method of saltpeter, red phosphorus and aluminothermic. The formula of the saltpeter method is potassium nitrate, sulfur and carbon powder. Just as the ancients used to make gunpowder by using mono-nitrogen trisulfide carbon, based on this, adding sucrose increases the loudness and then increases the metal or metal salt. Flame reaction.
The leads are made separately for making pulp and paper, and the saltpeter is rolled into a roll to form a lead. There is a danger of explosion during the red phosphorus process, the aluminothermic process, and the discharge process.
The raw material of the fireworks is composed of a luminescent agent and a Coloring Agent, wherein the luminescent agent is composed of a chemically active metal such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium, zirconium, etc., and the metal powder is emitted into the air and oxidized in the air. Intense burning, the temperature can be as high as three thousand degrees, thus releasing a dazzling glare.
The coloring agent produces a colorful color. Among them, the coloring agent is a common metal salt. These metal salts can decompose at high temperatures, while different metal vapors have different spectra – emitting their own inherently colored light.
For example, sodium vapor produces a yellow spectrum. Therefore, sodium oxalate, sodium fluoride, cryolite or sodium silicate can be used as a yellow light coloring agent; cerium vapor can produce a red spectrum, and cerium nitrate, cerium carbonate, cerium oxalate or the like can be used. As a red light coloring agent; yellow-green light with bismuth chlorate, lanthanum nitrate; blue-green light with copper carbonate, malachite; white light with aluminum powder and so on. With these basic colors, it is not difficult to match all kinds of colors, so that the festive night sky will bloom brilliantly!
Environmental impact from fireworks
When you enjoy the fireworks and firecrackers to bring happiness, are you aware of the harm caused by the firecrackers? When firecrackers are fired, a large number of harmful gases, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfides, carbon oxides, etc., are released, which can cause air pollution.
When setting off firecrackers, it will not only cause air pollution but also cause noise pollution. In the event of fire and explosion, it will also cause personal injury. At the end of the 20th century, the state promulgated a legal ban, banned fireworks and firecrackers in some cities, and celebrated the festival while observing a safe and happy Green Spring Festival. The times are different, and the achievements of high-tech are endless. The Spring Festival of the present era is advancing with the times. It can encourage the change of customs and promote the use of electronic firecrackers, fireworks and other safe and environmentally friendly alternative products, and a colorful and diverse Spring Festival.
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