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By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Not all
fireworks are created equal.
For
example, there is a difference between a firecracker and a sparkler: The goal
of a firecracker is to create a controlled explosion; a sparkler, on the other
hand, burns over a long period of time (up to a minute) and produces a
brilliant shower of sparks.
Sparkler Chemistry
A
sparkler consists of several substances:
·
An oxidizer
·
A fuel
·
Iron, steel, aluminum, or other metal powder
·
A combustible binder
In
addition to these components, colorants, and compounds also may be added to
moderate the chemical reaction.
Often,
charcoal and sulfur are firework fuel, or sparklers may simply use the binder
as the fuel.
The
binder is usually sugar, starch, or shellac.
Metals
are used to create the sparks.
Sparkler formulae may be quite simple.
For example, a sparkler may consist only of potassium perchlorate, titanium or
aluminum, and dextrin.
Now
that you've seen the composition of a sparkler, let's consider how these
chemicals react with each other.
Oxidizers
Oxidizers
produce oxygen to burn the mixture. Oxidizers are usually nitrates, chlorates,
or perchlorates.
Nitrates
are made up of a metal ion and a nitrate ion.
Nitrates
give up 30% of their oxygen to yield nitrites and oxygen. The resulting
equation for potassium nitrate looks like this:
2 KNO3(solid) → 2 KNO2(solid)
+O2(gas)
Chlorates
are made up of a metal ion and the chlorate ion.
Chlorates
give up all of their oxygen, causing a more spectacular reaction. However, this
also means they are explosive.
An example of potassium chlorate yielding
its oxygen would look like this:
2 KClO3(solid) → 2 KCl(solid) + 3 O2(gas)
Perchlorates
have more oxygen in them, but are less likely to explode as a result of an
impact than are chlorates.
Potassium
perchlorate yields its oxygen in this reaction:
KClO4(solid) →
KCl(solid) + 2 O2(gas)
Reducing Agents
The
reducing agents are the fuel used to burn the oxygen produced by the oxidizers.
This combustion produces hot gas.
Examples
of reducing agents are sulfur and charcoal, which react with the oxygen to form
sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), respectively.
Regulators
Two
reducing agents may be combined to accelerate or slow the reaction.
Also,
metals affect the speed of the reaction. Finer metal powders react more quickly
than coarse powders or flakes.
Other
substances, such as cornmeal, also may be added to regulate the reaction.
Binders
Binders
hold the mixture together. For a sparkler, common binders are dextrin (a sugar)
dampened by water or a shellac compound dampened by alcohol.
The
binder can serve as a reducing agent and as a reaction moderator.
How Does a Sparkler Work?
Let's
put it all together. A sparkler consists of a chemical mixture that is molded
onto a rigid stick or wire.
These
chemicals often are mixed with water to form a slurry that can be coated on a
wire (by dipping) or poured into a tube.
Once
the mixture dries, you have a sparkler.
Aluminum,
iron, steel, zinc or magnesium dust or flakes may be used to create the bright,
shimmering sparks.
The
metal flakes heat up until they are incandescent and shine brightly or, at a
high enough temperature, actually burn.
Sometimes
sparklers are called snowballs in reference to the ball of sparks that
surrounds the burning part of the sparkler.
A
variety of chemicals can be added to create colors.
The
fuel and oxidizer are proportioned, along with the other chemicals, so that
the sparkler burns slowly rather than
exploding like a firecracker.
Once
one end of the sparkler is ignited, it burns progressively to the other end.
In
theory, the end of the stick or wire is suitable to support it while burning.
Important Sparkler Reminders
Obviously,
sparks cascading off of a burning stick present a fire and burn hazard; less
obviously, sparklers contain one or more metals, so they can present a health
hazard.
Sparklers
should not be burned on cakes as candles or otherwise used in a manner that
could lead to consumption of the ash. So, use sparklers safely and have fun!
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
Education
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of
Tennessee at Knoxville
B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings
College
Introduction
Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the
University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Science educator with experience
teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school,
college, and graduate levels.
ThoughtCo and About Education chemistry
expert since 2001.
Widely-published graphic artist,
responsible for printable periodic tables and other illustrations used in
science.
Experience
Anne Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered
chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education since 2001, and other sciences
since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high
school, college, and graduate levels. She has worked as a research
scientist and also abstracting and indexing diverse scientific literature for
the Department of Energy.
In addition to her work as a science
writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a scientific consultant,
specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach. Previously,
she worked as a research scientist and college professor.
Education
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical
sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A.
in physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry from Hastings College. In
her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection
and medical diagnostic tests.
ThoughtCo and
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publication.
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-do-sparklers-work-607351
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