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Perchlorate Color System


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Engager:

 

Here are results of color mixing. Simple colors refered later on as "base colors" are perchlorate based. Colors produced are results of mixing "base" compositions of two colors in certain proportion. 7 different proportions were tested, with step 12.5 mass percent.

 

In some regions, more precise composition mixing can produce other interesting colors. Photos can also give an idea about how color may depend on purity of base perchlorate.

 

All mixes are hygroscopic and need protection from moisture, mixtures containing blue base should never be mixed with chlorates. Enjoy and post your comments.

 

 

Name of compositions: Engager's perchlorate color system

Composition Type: Colored fire system

Creator: Engager

Color/Effect: Varies

The Compositions: (by weight)

 

 

Green Base: Barium perchlorate - 85%, Orange shellac powder - 15%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/01.GREEN.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹1: Green base - 87.5%, Blue base - 12.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/02.GBN1.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹2: Green base - 75%, Blue base - 25%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/03.GBN2.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹3: Green base - 62.5%, Blue base - 37.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/04.GBN3.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹4: Green base - 50%, Blue base - 50%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/05.GBN4.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹5: Green base - 37.5%, Blue base - 62.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/06.GBN5.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹6: Green base - 25%, Blue base - 75%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/07.GBN6.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹7: Green base - 12.5%, Blue base - 87.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/08.GBN7.jpg

 

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Engager:

 

Blue Base: Ammonium perchlorate - 79.5%, Hexamethylenetetramine - 15.8%, Ñopper (I) chloride - 5.7%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/09.BLUE.jpg

 

Blue & Red ¹1: Blue base - 87.5%, Red base - 12.5%.

Image:

 

Image missing in post

 

Blue & Red ¹3: Blue base - 62.5%, Red base - 37.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/12.BRN3.jpg

 

Blue & Red ¹4: Blue base - 50%, Red base - 50%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/13.BRN4.jpg

 

Blue & Red ¹5: Blue base - 37.5%, Red base - 62.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/14.BRN5.jpg

 

Blue & Red ¹6: Blue base - 25%, Red base - 75%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/15.BRN6.jpg

 

Blue & Red ¹7: Blue base - 12.5%, Red base - 87.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/16.BRN7.jpg

 

Red Base: Strontium perchlorate - 80.28% Orange shellac powder - 19.72%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/17.RED.jpg

 

Red & Yellow ¹1: Red base - 87.5%, Yellow base - 12.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/18.RYN1.jpg

 

Red & Yellow ¹2: Red base - 75%, Yellow base - 25%.

Image:

 

Image missing in original post

 

Red & Yellow ¹3: Red base - 62.5%, Yellow base - 37.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/20.RYN3.jpg

 

Red & Yellow ¹4: Red base - 50%, Yellow base - 50%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/21.RYN4.jpg

 

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Engager:

 

Red & Yellow ¹5: Red base - 37.5%, Yellow base - 62.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/22.RYN5.jpg

 

Red & Yellow ¹6: Red base - 25%, Yellow base - 75%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/23.RYN6.jpg

 

Red & Yellow ¹7: Red base - 12.5%, Yellow base - 87.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/24.RYN7.jpg

 

Yellow Base: Sodium perchlorate - 81.6% Orange shellac powder - 18.4%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/25.YELLOW.jpg

 

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Yellow & Green ¹1: Yellow base - 87.5%, Green base - 12.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/26.YGN1.jpg

 

Yellow & Green ¹2: Yellow base - 75%, Green base - 25%.

Image:

 

Image missing in original post

 

Yellow & Green ¹3: Yellow base - 62.5%, Green base - 37.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/28.YGN3.jpg

 

Yellow & Green ¹4: Yellow base - 50%, Green base - 50%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/29.YGN4.jpg

 

Yellow & Green ¹5: Yellow base - 37.5%, Green base - 62.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/30.YGN5.jpg

 

Yellow & Green ¹6: Yellow base - 25%, Green base - 75%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/31.YGN6.jpg

 

Yellow & Green ¹7: Yellow base - 12.5%, Green base - 87.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/32.YGN7.jpg

 

Green & Blue ¹1: Green base - 87.5%, Blue base - 12.5%.

Image:

 

http://www.ruspyro.net/system/foto/02.GBN1.jpg

 

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Swany:

 

Are the burning rates on these mixtures very consistant with each other? As in, does the red burn notably faster than the blue? If the burn-rates are compatible, and even if they aren't, this is a very neat system.

 

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TheSidewinder:

 

This is one of the best posts with pics that I've read in a while, nice work!

 

The chems you are using aren't available from my 2 chem suppliers here in the US (Skylighter, Firefox). No Barium, Strontium, or Sodium Perchlorate. I have plenty of AP (Ammonium Perchlorate!) and Hexamine, though. I assume you meant Copper (II) Chloride in your blue base formula? It's garbled in your post, quoted below. If so, I have that as well, so I can play with the Blue Base formula.

 

"Blue Base: Ammonium perchlorate - 79.5%, Hexamethylenetetramine (my edit: Hexamine)- 15.8%, Ñopper (I) chloride - 5.7%"

 

 

If anyone has a link, off the top of their head, to a US supplier that carries the chems I'm missing, please do post it. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in my lack of a resource to them.

 

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Engager:

 

No, i realy mean copper (I) chloride (copper monochloride CuCl). Copper (I) chloride - white crystaline compound, insoluble in water. Absorbs oxygen and moisture slowly turning into green hydoxychloride Cu(OH)Cl*CuCl which is stable in air and with moisture. "Green" copper chloride witch is stable was used. Subject can be turned back to snowy white pure CuCl with weak HCl solution, but there is no need to do that, green copper (I) chloride works perfect in blue star formulas and is in fact the most widely used blue color producing chemical in russian industrial pyrotechnics.

 

Copper (I) chloride can be simply made at home from copper sulfate NaCl and Na2SO3 (or other reducer, Cu metall powder can also bee used).

 

I can post photos of subject and pocedure of it's preparation at home. I can also post how to produce copper metall powder from CuSO4, NaCl and alluminim piece (metod allows to produce many hydrogen as well, and can be easily made at home without any equipment).

 

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Engager:

 

Yes, burn rates are diffrent but can be regulated, to be approximately the same, by addding more components to the base mixtures. By the way, this system is made by me only for testing and may be not perfect. But then i will have time i will certainly make corrections and more precise color mixing. If you can offer some improvements or suggestions please post them

 

I can also explain procedure of making any metall perchlorate (not just strontium and barium) from NH4ClO4 and metall oxide or carbonate. Place your question in general chemistry => perchlorates topic.

 

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TheSidewinder:

 

Opps, I made an error. I was thinking of Copper (II) Oxide when I posted that.

 

It seems that Copper (I) Chloride is unavailable as well as the other chems. I can get Copper (II) Chloride [CuCl2], aka "Campfire Blue", but not Copper (I) Chloride [CuCl]. What would be the result of substituting CuCl2 for the CuCl? An excess of Chlorine, that much I can see, but...?

 

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Engager:

 

Result will be COMPLETELY different, bacause blue fire is caused by emmision of CuCl molecules. If you use CuCl2 you will get nothing or just bad and weak green color. So you can't substitute CuCl for something else.

 

Besides, you can make CuCl by yourself.

 

Procedure: Copper (I) chloride can be made from copper (II) sulfate and Na2SO3 асting as reducer:

 

2CuSO4 + Na2SO3 + 2NaCl + H2O = CuCl (prec.) + 2Na2SO4 + H2SO4

 

Solution of 250g CuSO4*5H2O and 125 g of NaCl in 900 ml of water is heated then filtered. Filtered solution is mixed with filtered solution of 240g Na2SO3 in 500 ml of water, when mixture is heated until solution will turn light blue. Preticipate of CuCl is filtered out from the solution and washed with 40 ml of concentated HCl (not essential,gives more purity product) and then by acetone (to increase speed of drying). Salt is placed on the glass in thin layer and dried at 100C until it will be completly dry. Yield is near to 90g (94-97% of theoretical).

 

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TheSidewinder:

 

Oh, ok, I thought the color came from the decomposition of the CuCl into its two ions, Cu+ and Cl- (or is that Cu- and Cl+... been too long). I now see why you can't use CuCl2.

 

I don't have the setup to do the synthesis, but thanks for posting it. Maybe someone can use it.

 

Hrmm. Where the hell can we get all those nice chems here in the US? You've piqued my interest. I'd like to work up those base colors and try them in shells.

 

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Mumbles:

 

I was wondering about it earlier, but I don't have my journal access. I know it is the CuCl that causes the blue in fireworks. I couldn't determine if it was CuCl vaporised, or if it was CuCl+ vaporised. This is why chlorine is essential to good blues. BaCl or BaCl+ is the reason chlorine donors are essential to good greens too. Hopefully I will have a definitive answer in a few days.

 

I still prefer my Copper (II) salts as they are stable for storage unlike most Copper (I) salts.

 

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Crazy_Swede:

 

"...blue fire is caused by emmision of CuCl molecules. If you use CuCl2 you will get nothing or just bad and weak green color..."

 

This is not true!

It is correct that it is the excited CuCl molecule, and not the ion, that emits blue light but you can use any copper compound to produce a blue flame. It's all about keeping the temperature low enough, balancing the oxidizer/fuel amount correctly and having enough chlorine in the flame. Then the CuCl will spontaneously form in the flame!

 

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TheSidewinder:

 

CrazySwede, are you saying that I *CAN* substitute CuCl2 for the CuCl? If so, how much less (or more) would be called for in the chemical equation given to achieve a stoichiometric balance? I don't feel like wasting chemicals experimenting.....

 

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No comments here. But not forget about gas phase equlibrium,if you will take another copper compound, it's essential that it must enter gas phase equlibrium to form CuCl, and only after that CuCl molecules can proceed to excited state and emit blue color. CuCl is far superior to any other copper compound because mixtures with it do not need gas equlibrium CuCl formation, it's ready to use initialy. With any other compound quantity of CuCl in flame will be lower becase it forms in relatively small quantity in gas phase equlibrium reaction, while CuCl needs just to evaporise (1212C), go to the excited state and emit the photon.

 

So... don't bother me, this composition was selected from the around of 200 blue fire compositions tested by me. And even 50% addition of Sr or Ba compounds can't destroy it's blue color, show me the composition on any Cu (II) salt whitch can do the same!

 

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