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Barium Powder |
Fireworks have been around for so long that no one knows who invented them or which culture first created them, or when this occurred. It is commonly believed that the Chinese were the first to master this technology and that they were using fireworks long before Europeans knew about them, by several centuries.
However, ancient Greeks and Egyptians also had some form of fireworks. The fireworks as we see today only emerged after gunpowder was utilized and scientific advancements were made.
The basic materials used to make fireworks include saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and wood charcoal. These compounds are ground into a powder, and a small amount of gunpowder is added. To create different shapes and colors in fireworks, additional materials are mixed in, such as lead nitrate, barium powder, and aluminum powder. After all, how can you call it fireworks if there aren’t any colors? To produce various colors, different metal salts are added. For red, strontium salts are used; for green, barium salts; for yellow, sodium salts; and for blue, copper salts. By layering these salts in a metal tube and igniting them, you will see colorful bursts depending on the type of salt used.
If one wants to create a “Roman Candle”, they would take a tube sealed at one end with clay or plaster and fill it with a layer of gunpowder. Next, a “fire starter” is placed inside that does not explode, surrounded by a layer of an incendiary material that burns with a flame. Following this, a thick layer of slow-burning explosive, known as a “fuse“, is added, along with another “fire starter” on top… and this process continues with different colored powders until the tube is full. Once filled, a fuse made of paper soaked in combustible material is inserted into the mouth of the tube.
When the fuse is ignited, it will ignite the slow-burning explosive, which gradually ignites the incendiary materials surrounding the top of the “fire starter”. This fire starter ignites the explosive, causing it to burst and launch the fire starter out of the tube. In this manner, the number of “fire starters” will determine how many explosions occur, each releasing colored powders into the air.
