11 replies to this topic

[MDH]

Hello everyone - Again, I have been working on colored star compositions that are accessible and simple to use, though these employ magnesium, so the usual rules of keeping the composition dry or working with waxes and dichromates apply for the composition's longevity.

Composition to be updated Later
In perportional order: Magnesium, Metallic Carbonate, Parlon, Sulfur

Notes: Blue should not be attempted with this composition due to inferior colour. Green, red, yellow and orange are very strongly coloured. The green makes a spectacularly clear green star, which is usually hard with carbonates.

Preparation: Gently sift the ingredients together. Press the composition into small paper tubes, or bind with a solvent and prime it with black powder and aluminum. Granulate finely to use as a colored flash-report composition.

It should be noted that this composition is in development... Further updates to this will likely be made to optimize this colour spectrum for sparklers and possibly with a blue star.

Edited by MDH, 03 November 2009 - 03:51 AM.

[CCH Concepts]

would there be any problem with using MgAl instead of Mg?

[MDH]

Yes, MgAl is less reactive and saturates white light, despite the parlon. The red and green might still work. Prepare a small amount of composition containing generalized small amounts of magalium, a metallic carbonate and parlon, (i.e. 5 grams) and carefully ignite it on a piece of paper, then tell me if it works with magnalium.

[CCH Concepts]

i will as soon as i get a chance. you got rid of you proportions lol. should i stick similar to valine?

Edited by CCH Concepts, 03 November 2009 - 12:07 PM.

[a_bab]

MDH, you look very keen about testing new compos.
There were several members complaining about the fact that the "russian pyrotechnic mixtures" are not used at all.
Some are really odd, like using barium/strontium perchlorates (while giving probably the best color, they are notoriously hygroscopical), but others look nice. The extensive use of hexamine as a fuel is also notable in the russian compos. Pyrotechnics s a very vast domain; mlitary explosives are just the same and they work the same. In pyrotechnics one can experiment for hundreds of years, giving the large number of usefull chems. Maybe the "cold war" helped too, but there is a certain thing: the russian pyrotechnical compositions look very different from the rest. And they must work well.

What I'd like you to do is to test this (if you have the chems):

Ammonium perchlorate 79,5
Hexamine 15,8
Copper (I) chloride 5,7

I know, the proportions are odd. From my experience, over 10 percent of hexamine in AP will ignite and burn slowly. But any copper containing stuff will accelerate the burn considerably.
This compo it's supposed to give the best blue (the author claims that he tested some 200 different compos and this is THE best).
The use of cuprous chloride may look odd too, but the author saids that it vaporises at some 1200 degrees where it starts to "show off" in the flame directly, getting excited. So no need to synth it. The chlorhidric acid supplied by the AP will smack any naughty free copper atom that wants to escape the "blue work" back in the form of CuCl.

All in all, something to try.

[MDH]

Thanks a_bab - I'm out of ammonium perchlorate at the moment but I wrote it down in my text document. I have a lot of CuCl2.

I apologize at removing the ratios but I discovered my weigh scale had already been weighing some untold amount when I added the barium carbonate, so I will have to do a remeasuring - as well as cleaning my weigh scale off. It did indeed produce a very clear green flame the first time, but the second and third time it smoldered and barely burned.

So, it will be back, soon.

Edited by MDH, 04 November 2009 - 08:10 PM.

[a_bab]

Attention! You need CuCl for this particular formula! Cuprous chloride, Copper(I) chloride, Copper monochloride, you name it.

It's a fine non hygroscopic greenish powder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper(I)_chloride. The pure fresh version is a white powder. In time it turns into copper oxychloride, but it is in no way THAT unstable as some (cough Mumbles) would pretend

Edited by a_bab, 04 November 2009 - 09:30 PM.

[Potassium chlorate]

Attention! You need CuCl for this particular formula! Cuprous chloride, Copper(I) chloride, Copper monochloride, you name it.

It's a fine non hygroscopic greenish powder: http://en.wikipedia....er(I)_chloride. The pure fresh version is a white powder. In time it turns into copper oxychloride, but it is in no way THAT unstable as some (cough Mumbles) would pretend

I tried to make cuprous chloride from cupper carbonate and hydrochloric acid but it failed. I couldn't filter it out properly, and I don't even know if it was the right chloride or if it was copper(II)chloride.

Too bad, since I have the other two chemicals. The composition seemed very interesting.

[Mumbles]

Well, they're pretty easy to tell apart. CuCl is a white to grey to greenish powder which is insoluble in water, and copper (II) chloride is a blue (hydrated) or brown (anhydrous) powder and blue or green in solution (depending on concentration).

If you just mixed normal copper carbonate and HCl, you will get copper (II) chloride. I can provide a well established synthesis for Copper (I) chloride if you're interested. You can reduce Copper (II) Chloride with metallic copper, or a few other commonly availble reductants.

[Potassium chlorate]

Oh, I can buy it, no problem, but I have to order it on the net. The shipping isn't for free. I'll try it the next time I order chemicals.

[Mumbles]

Where's the fun is buying it, when you can make it?

[Potassium chlorate]

OK, tell me about your synthesis and I'll try to make it out of copper carbonate then.