what is the blue substance?

[piggarro99]

Whilst playing with some of the rather large rockets that i have been bought, i decided i would open a couple up and meddle somewhat with the internals.

To my inexpectation i found that the whistle powder and the black powder were seperated and surrounded by this (ever so fine) blue powder. Can someone tell me what it is. It is the richest blue i have ever seen, and quite frankly it is worrying me.

Thank you
piggarro99

[Zach]

It could possibly be copper sulfate... Thats really the only blue crystal I can think of at the moment.
However, why it would be in your rocket engine, I havent the foggiest.

Correction: you said blue powder. I guess I was thinking that it could be copper sulfate, for color purposes.

<small>[ November 01, 2002, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: Zach ]</small>

[Yak]

It would be somthing to do with colour but does anyone know what colour Copper sulphate is when burnt?
As far as i can think its green (when burnt) but i really think im wrong.

-----
Edit
Yes Brass chloride and Copper sulphate produce a green flame when burnt if im not mistaken.

<small>[ November 01, 2002, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: Yak ]</small>

[Marvin]

Its doubtless a mixture, try setting fire to a very small amount and see what happens. Copper produces a green colour in a hot mixture, or in a cool mixture with high chlorine content, a fairly reasonable blue. Copper sulphate is probably less likley in a commential firework. Copper oxychloride is, from memory, an opaque light blue powder, but guessing gets us nowhere, try some chemical tests on it.

An alkaline earth nitrate or chloride will test for sulphate (In the absense of phosphate etc etc etc I'm trying to keep this simple), silver nitrate if you have it will test for chloride, adding conc sulphuric should tell you if theres a nitrate in there, crackling indicated chlorates, be aware this can set it on fire but this is only for very very tiny amounts, a bit crude but if you have ferrous sulphate you can try the brown ring test. Dissolve a little in water, add some conc ammonia and if the solution goes very dark blue thats proof positive of copper. Deconstructing commercial pyrotechnic forumlas like this, with quantitive methods can be very useful....

[Anthony]

I presume that the BP is for a report? If so it's probably to give a blue hue to the report flash. It *might* also serve as a compatible barrier between the sulphur in the BP and the chlorate in the whistle mix.

I'm surprised it's BP and not flash though.

[Eliteforum]

It may just be a chalk barrier, sort of like an end plug?

[Anthony]

I think a chalk plug would block the flame front and thus negate the point of a salute payload on the rocket :rolleyes:

[piggarro99]

ok then here is the answer, along with a full refund, the blue was a chemical die that was put in to the fire work to mark the end of the line of production for that hour.

i am also told that the dyed powder should not be lit as it gives off an undisclosed gas, they took the rocket off me and "destroyed it. not to fear, i kept a sample and i am doing tests as we speak. no answer as to what was in the dye.

[Yak]

Weird, if they said dont light it because a gas will be given off i would think it was somthing deadly ie chlorine or flurine or somthing just as nasty but they wont tell you so i really dont have a clue.
Might a moderator know, but unless you can find out what the blue stuff is theres quite alot of gasses that could be given off, what tests can you do for things like chlorine, i know easy things eg Oxygen,Hydrogen etc but unless you shove your pet cat in it i dont know <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[kingspaz]

yak, marvin covered this with chlorides as thats what will be present in the blue powder itself. theres no point in testing for chlorine when its much easier to test for chloride. a possible test would be to burn some inside a sealed container with a piece of wet litmus paper inside also. if chlorine/fluorine are present then the litmus will fade and get bleached.
i personly think this blue stuff is just a delay charge to let the rocket reach its optimum height. once the rocket fuel stops burning the rocket is still travelling upwards so the delay is to allow it to travel the highest it is likely to go before the payload is ignited.

[nbk2000]

What I want to know is what the FUCK is a newbie with only 13 posts doing starting a new topic? :mad: