Let's have some Applied Chemistry!

[carnyx]

I have an open hearth, and like to light the occasional log pyre to brighten up our Carnyx-blowing parties.

Ocasionally, the fire will flare up a brilliant green as e.g. a duff Carnyx-player and her (.. usually a 'her') instrument, are consigned to the flames, presumably caused by the copper salts from internal corrosion of the brass tubing.

Now it would be nice to have this green effect to last longer, and also to be able to have the purple, blue, and the red 'firework' colours .. and even the orange and white, perhaps.

I can imagine the idea of soaking pieces of kindling in a solution of a salt, and drying them out. So, when they are dropped on the fire, they should give a pleasing colouring for a few minutes at least.

So can anybody help out by listing those firework salts, together with their apporpriate solvents?

[Progenitor A]

Feb 10, 2011 14:03:40 GMT 1 carnyx said:

I have an open hearth, and like to light the occasional log pyre to brighten up our Carnyx-blowing parties.

Dirty bugger!
[/quote]

[abacus9900]

Feb 10, 2011 14:03:40 GMT 1 carnyx said:

I have an open hearth, and like to light the occasional log pyre to brighten up our Carnyx-blowing parties.

Ocasionally, the fire will flare up a brilliant green as e.g. a duff Carnyx-player and her (.. usually a 'her') instrument, are consigned to the flames, presumably caused by the copper salts from internal corrosion of the brass tubing.

Now it would be nice to have this green effect to last longer, and also to be able to have the purple, blue, and the red 'firework' colours .. and even the orange and white, perhaps.

I can imagine the idea of soaking pieces of kindling in a solution of a salt, and drying them out. So, when they are dropped on the fire, they should give a pleasing colouring for a few minutes at least.

So can anybody help out by listing those firework salts, together with their apporpriate solvents?

One for Helen I would have thought.

[helen]

Salts of boron will give you a green fire www.periodicvideos.com/videos/005.htm Of course strontium salts give you red flames, listen to this www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/element.asp. This quite is good fun, cesium and time and colour together are here www.periodicvideos.com/videos/055.htm We can't do this in school but the stuff about seconds is interesting. Blue, now that's a tough one. purple potassium. Orange sodium salts oh and you know the rest, got do dinner! Got it a bit mixed up but hey, ........

[jonjel]

Carnyx.
This might help

www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/ALG005C.html

[carnyx]

Jonjel, I'd get into trouble throwing that lot on the fire ..

And Helen thanks for the gen so far.

I hope you have realised that this could be a money-making venture, and so I am serious about needing the info on the various solvents.

Maybe your mate knows, or could find out?

[carnyx]

Ha! Ain't the web a great place!

Found a nice site that tells me all I need to know;

www.hvchemical.com/flame-salts.htm

It even describes mixing the salts in melted candlewax, and then dipping pinecones ( get hundreds of those pesky things every year )


Potential snag may be that the temperature of the average fire might not be high enough to get a good display. But if the results are acceptably jolly, them you could expect to see Carnyx's Coloured Cones on sale near you, next Xmas!

( Rich I say.. Rich! ... Socialists Rejoice! ... Think of all the Taxes I will pay!)

[helen]

Not something I would recommend to teenagers these days although my bro' and I did similar things back when we were kids in the sixties. We used larch bark rather than cones. Back then we could buy things like strontium chloride from our local chemist shop. Where do you get it today as a regular Joe? You can't!. It was Mr Williams who was the pharmasist in our chemist shop. I had a Merit chemistry set and he used to refill my testubes with alum, cobalt chloride and ammonium chloride and all the rest. He helped me build my chemical garden and really got me interested in science www.periodicvideos.com/videos/mv_chemicalgarden.htm. It was great being a child!

[carnyx]

Not something I would recommend to teenagers these days although my bro' and I did similar things back when we were kids

Shame that; when you had so much fun, you remembered it.

Who recommended it to you?

[helen]

'Who recommended it to you?' Childhood enquiry, the pharmasist in our little town and the library in Exeter. We try to get teenagers interested in the rock and roll of chemistry but rules and regs hamstring us somewhat these days. That's why I do my Saturday science club where the rules are relaxed somewhat, suppose you would prefer your kid's playing rugby or stealing cars on a Saturday. What do you do to enlighten or engage young people in thought? You are such a cynic Carnyx, you seem to know the cost of stuff but not it's value. Is this the case?.