useful blue deflagrating mixture

[David 314]

Many blue pryotechnics formulas out there call for weird exotic things like copper-ammonium chloride, hexamine, ammonium perchlorate, and other equally expensive (or dangerous) things. I desired a simpler blue mixture, and so, after experimenting for several hours, I have devised the following five-part mixture.

By weight:
6 KClO4
3 Powdered confectioners sugar
1 Dechlorane
1.5 Copper Carbonate
1 Flake Aluminum

Mix dry and have fun. The mixture isn't friction sensitive, nor is it highly hydroscopic. The blue is not as strong as it could be (think more of a sky blue than a royal blue), but attempts at using powdered aluminum as the main fuel resulted in a blinding white flame. The flake aluminum is not entirely necessary, but without it, there will be faint orange tinges visible in the flame. The mixture burns slowly, and with a moderate-to-large amount of smoke.

Please experiment and see if improvements can be made, and leave any comments or criticisms. Don't denigrate this substance if you haven't made it - it works.

[nbk2000]

And Dechlorane is any less "weird and exotic" than ammonium perchlorate?

[Tangaroa]

Could try cobalt compounds for a blue flame, can be obtained from pottery supply stores as an oxide, sulphate and carbonate.

[Crazy Swede]

Cobalt compounds can NOT be used for the production of blue flames.

I've seen this belief several times now. Does anybody know what is the origin of this idea? Some kind of flame test?

Co I and II have peaks close to the blue region but they are way too weak to be effective.

Copper compounds have always been, and will most probably continue to be, the only effective additive for blue coloured flames.

[Efraim_barkbit]

I read this in "the swedish infomania", it is said to give a blue light:
18 parts potassium chlorate
24 parts potassium nitrate
14 parts sulfur
6 parts copper oxide

I have never tryed it, so I don´t know if it works
it is also said that it is important that all the chems are completely free of sodium.

[a_bab]

Crazy Swede, you are right about the cobalt. I guess that the expression "cobalt blue" is responsible for this confusion.

Indium salts are good for producing a good blue but the price is prohibitive. So the only choice are the copper compounds.

[Tuatara]

Cobalt produces beautiful deep blue glazes for ceramics, hence the confusion. And its hideously expensive - NZ$ 200 / kg

I wouldn't class dechlorane as 'common' either. Not after googling for half an hour to figure out what it was! What would be nice is some synths for good pyro chlorine donors. Anyone got a synth for dechlorane?

[Marvin]

Efraim_barkbit,

That mixture contains sulphur, chlorates and copper compounds, its not safe, avoid it.

Sodium salts produce a very intense yellow, trace amounts of them can totally wreck any attempts to produce blue.