The fascinating chemistry that goes into a fireworks

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• The fireworks you enjoy every 4th of July are the result of a chain of chemical reactions.
• When a fireworks is lit, its contents of colorful explosives called "stars" illuminate the sky.
• The colors that shine in the sky are chemical reactions that occur right in front of your eyes.

The show of fireworks can ask you what it was necessary to get this changing and dazzling color sequence in the sky.

We're here to help you

Fireworks are the result of a whole series of chemical reactions. And all of this leads to an explosion.

Simply, a fire is a container – typically a tube or ball shape – that holds explosives attached to a timed fuse.

There are two explosive parts in a fireworks – one that projects it into the sky, and a set of small explosive balls called "stars". These stars are filled with colors that shine in the sky, but only after a while. This is why fireworks can rise high in the sky before exploding to shine.

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Here's what it looks like:

Chemical reactions create colors

The colors that shine in the sky are chemical reactions that occur right before your eyes.

Every star is an oxidizer, a fuel, a metal that acts like color, and a binder that holds everything together. The fuel and the oxidizing agent are the parts responsible for the intense heat and gas of the explosion, according to the American Chemical Society.

But the coolest part is metals that act like colors. The heat causes the atoms inside the wire to move faster and faster, causing the atoms to collide more, giving off light. If you can control the temperature of the fireworks, you can choose the exact time at which you want the fireworks to be of a certain color.

Some fireworks heat up and switch to red, orange, yellow and white depending on how hot the explosion is. But more generally, fireworks create light by letting escape specific colors that depend on the metals in the mix.

For a complete display, fireworks often mix different metals and metal salts to achieve vibrant multicolored effects. Calcium salts burn orange, while sodium salts burn yellow. If you burn copper, it will emit a blue-green light.

The science behind the forms and sounds of fireworks

Fascinated by this smiley or this oddly curious in a fireworks display? This is nothing more than a careful organization of the stars. If they are only scattered randomly, they will expand evenly in the sky once they explode.

But, because the explosion will push the stars in a predictable trajectory, it is possible to organize the stars according to a pattern on the cardboard cylinder outside the fire. ;artifice. This will create specific forms.

And of course, no fireworks would be complete without the booms that break the ears and resonate in our chests. These noises are caused by a sound boom that occurs when the gases inside the fireworks develop faster than the speed of sound.

In the end, you'll have a great way to celebrate July 4th.

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