Fireworks Essay example -- Chemistry Fireworks Essays

Fireworks How do fireworks produce their brilliant colors and loud bangs? To produce the noise and flashes, an oxidizer (an oxidizing agent) and a fuel (reducing agent) are used. The oxidizer oxidizes the fuel in a very exothermic reaction which produces a brilliant flash and a loud report from the rapidly expanding gases produced. For a color effect, an element with a colored emission spectrum is included. Electrons in atoms can be raised to higher-energy orbitals when the atoms absorb energy. The excited atoms can then release this excess energy by emitting light of specific wavelengths, often in the visible region. In fireworks, the energy to excite the electrons comes from the reaction between the oxidizer and fuel. Fireworks are usually made out of the following items; an oxidizing agent, a fuel (reducing agent), a coloring agent, binders and regulators. These mixed together are what make up the basic fireworks: Oxidizers The first thing in a firework is the oxidizing agent. These produce the Oxygen to burn the mixture. Oxidizers are usually nitrates, chlorates or perchlorates. The common oxidizers are nitrates. These are made up of a metal ion and the nitrate ion. I'll use potassium nitrate as an example. Nitrates only give up 1/3 of their oxygen. The resulting equation would look something like this: 2KNO3 ---> 2KNO2 + O2 The next Oxidizers are chlorates are also made up of a metal ion and then the chlorate ion...