• Question:  How do you get Different Coloured Fireworks?

    Asked by SpiderMan to Angela, Claire, Ian, Robert, Sarah on 17 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by Melon.
    • Photo: Angela Stokes

      Angela Stokes answered on 17 Nov 2014:

      Hi SpiderMan
      Inside each firework are chemicals, mainly metal salts and metal oxides, which react to produce an array of colors. When heated, the atoms of each element in the mix absorb energy, causing its electrons to rearrange from their lowest energy state to a higher “excited” state. As the electrons plummet back down to their lower energy state, the excess energy gets emitted as light .

      Each element releases a different amount of energy, and this energy is what determines the color or wavelength of the light that is emitted.

      For instance, when sodium nitrate is heated, electrons in the sodium atoms absorb the energy and get excited as these lose their excited state they release yellow light.

      Similarly for blue we use varying amounts of copper chloride compounds, while red comes from strontium and lithium salts.

      Secondary colors are made by mixing the ingredients of the primary-colours.. A mixture of copper (blue) and strontium (red) makes purple

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