What makes fire different colors

For example, a blue flame is the hottest followed by a yellow flame, then orange and red flames. Hydrocarbon gases burn blue whilst wood, coal or candles burn yellow, orange or red.

The colder part of a diffusion incomplete combustion flame will be red, transitioning to orange, yellow, and white as the temperature increases as evidenced by changes in the black-body radiation spectrum. Disposable butane lighters could potentially produce flames as hot as 4, degrees Fahrenheit, while their naphthalene counterparts could reach 4, degrees. However, factors like air movement and ambient temperature generally limit this. Magnesium sulfate: Makes a white flame.

Strontium chloride: Makes a red flame. Copper chloride: Makes a blue flame. Lithium chloride: Makes a pink flame. All you need to do is sprinkle on a salt to color the flames…. List of Flame Colorant Chemicals. Good choices include rubbing alcohol, rum, hand sanitizer made with alcohol, lighter fluid, or alcohol fuel treatment.

You can get a rainbow effect by placing chemicals directly on burning wood or paper, but sodium in these fuels produces a strongly yellow flame, which tends to overpower the other colors. Easy Yellow Fire Instructions Many fuels produce yellow fire without any help.

Alcohol, natural gas methane , propane, and naphtha tend to burn blue, but are easily colored yellow. For example, copper produces a blue flame, lithium and strontium a red flame, calcium an orange flame, sodium a yellow flame, and barium a green flame.

You can sprinkle copper sulfate on a fire to impart a green flame. It mixes well with rubbing alcohol to produce pure green fire.

Purple is associated with the presence of potassium K. Madison Company lives and breathes sensors, so of course we get a kick out of fun facts about sensor applications as well.

See if you can guess where a sensor is used after you read this Fantastic Fun Fact! Have you ever wondered how to turn those leaping flames different colors? Mixing different chemicals will not make a new color. Just add one single type at a time, or place different kinds in different places within the fire. So where is the sensor? Ok, so the chemicals are solids. After you've mixed the chemical into the wax, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

While it is still liquid, pour it into paper cupcake wrappers to form the cakes. Allow the wax to set. Once the paraffin wax is in the paper cupcake wrappers, let them sit out until the wax solidifies again. It should only take about an hour for them to fully set. Add a wax cake to a burning fire. When the wax cakes are set, peel one out of its paper wrapper.

Throw it onto the hottest part of a burning fire, and as the wax melts, the flames will change color. The wax cakes work well in a campfire or a fireplace. Method 4. Collect dry, lightweight fire materials. Wood items like chips, scraps of lumber, pine cones, and kindling are all good options. You can also use rolled-up newspapers. Dissolve the chemical in water. Mix 1 pound g of your chosen chemical per every gallon 3. Stir well to help the powder dissolve more quickly.

For the best results, use a single chemical per container of water. Take care not to drop or break any glass containers in your campsite or near the firepit or fireplace. Be sure to wear safety glasses, rubber gloves, and a protective mask or respirator when mixing the chemical solution. It's best to mix the chemical solution outdoors because some of the chemicals may stain your work area or create hazardous fumes. Soak the wood materials in the chemical solution for a day.

Pour your chemical solution into a large container, such as an old ice cooler or plastic storage tub. Place the wood materials in a mesh bag such as an onion or potato bag before submerging them in the solution. Weigh the bag down with a brick or other heavy object, and allow the wood to soak for 24 hours.

Remove the mesh bag from the mixture and allow the wood to dry. Lift the bag out of the chemical solution, allowing it to drain for a moment over the container. Next, dump the wood pieces onto a sheet of newspaper or hang them up in a dry, breezy location, and allow them to dry for another 24 hours or more. If you don't allow the wood pieces to dry out, you'll have a hard time getting them to burn in your fire.

Burn the treated wood in your fire. Build a campfire or ignite a fire in your fireplace. When the fire has burned down to a low flame, toss the treated materials onto the fire and allow them to burn for several minutes until the colored flames appear.

Anthony "TC" Williams. It is to hard to estimate how many containers of final product you may end up with not knowing the true size of the final containers being used. Not Helpful 3 Helpful Will adding chemicals to a fire damage a stainless steel or galvanized metal chimney pipe? It's possible that the chemical smoke could discolor the piping or other surrounding materials such as an RV siding, building exteriors etc.

Not Helpful 4 Helpful If I throw the chemicals, would the fire get bigger and possibly burn my hand? These chemicals do not spontaneously burst into flames or cause the flames to grow. They merely burn along with the organic material already on fire. Not Helpful 16 Helpful You can buy most online, but some you can find in local pharmacies and hardware shops.

Not Helpful 11 Helpful Even if you do make it work, the show won' be as spectacular or as effective. Charcoal won't hold onto the chemical the way wood, bark, or pine cones would. Not Helpful 9 Helpful This reaction also makes carbon dioxide and water.

Wax Is Not Enough. You also need oxygen. If you cover a flame with a glass cup or jar, the flame uses up the oxygen and goes out. One Hot Reaction! Why does blowing on a flame make it go out?