FREE ESSAY ON PYROTECHNICS

PYROTECHNICS

Pyrotechnics is defined as the art of making and using fireworks. Some consider fireworks
dangerous, obnoxious bursts of noise; others consider them beautiful, artful displays of
light. Either way you look at it, pyrotechnics is an interesting and dangerous hobby.
Many colors and designs may be created by the placement of different compounds in
distinct areas of the fireworks, either projectile or stationary ones.
Some of the many different colors of the visible spectrum that can be easily recreated
are; yellow, orange, red, green, and blue. The shades of yellow and orange can be easily
recreated by the use of sodium or calcium chlorate. Red is easily attainable by the
burning of SrCl. The burning of BaCl creates a very bright green. The burning of copper
chlorate creates the blues. It would be extremely easy if we could just place these in
the fireworks and have them work, however, the emitting molecules, especially SrCl and
BaCl, are so reactive that they cannot be packed directly into a firework. To generate
them, we need pyrotechnic compositions designed to generate the above molecules, to
evaporate them into the flame and to keep them at as high temperature as possible to
achieve maximum light output. To get good colors, there must be substantial amounts of
emitters present in the flame. The emitters are not alone: in order to achieve the high
temperature, a fuel - oxidizer system is also needed, as well as some additional
ingredients. 
The colors of aerial fireworks come invariably from stars, small pellets of firework
composition that contain all the necessary ingredients for generating colored light or
other special effects. They may be as tiny as peas or as large as strawberries. A typical
red star might contain 
Potassium perchlorate, 67% by weight
Strontium carbonate 13.5%
Pine root pitch (fuel) 13.5%
Rice starch (binder) 6%
In order to launch these beautiful displays into the sky, one must shoot them by means of
a mortar or a rocket attached to the firework. To use a mortar, you must pack a
propellant into the mortar and then place your firework inside. The subsequent explosion
luanchs the mortar ball (your firework) into the sky, where it is free to explode in a
360 degree display of chemistry. Some fireworks are stationary, where all that is desired
is a loud bang. Some of the best stationary fireworks are just straight, packed black
powder in a small, sealed container (i.e. Tennis ball bomb, m-80, blackcats, etc). 
Pyrotechnics, whether used as a hobby, or a career, can be very dangerous if the right
equipment is not used. Extreme care must be taken with the use of bigger and hotter
burning compounds. Many of the compounds are extremely unstable. This is the main reason
for the use of large cement rooms called bunkers. You can create fireworks and explosives
in these without fear of destroying your area on this earth. All in all though,
pyrotechnics is a fun and interesting hobby not meant for the tame of heart.