AISSCE 2023-24
Subject: Chemistry
Name: Pushkal Halder
Board Roll Number:
Registration Number:
Exam AISSCE 2023-24
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--Index--
Sl.no. Topic Page no.
1. Acknowledgement 5
2. Aim 7
3. Introduction 9
4. Chemicals required 15
5. Procedure and Observation 17
6. Result 21
7. Bibliography 23
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Acknowledgement
I gratefully acknowledge the valuable contribution of my
school’s Chemistry Department for giving me the
opportunity to indulge in such an interesting topic on the
chemistry of fireworks. I would also express my gratitude
to my Chemistry teacher for her guidance and my parents
for helping me a lot.
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Aim
To study how fireworks work.
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Fireworks modification event Inventor Year
First Fireworks Chinese Circa 10th century AD
Fire arrows and fire lances Chinese 10th century AD
Modification of Gunpowder Chinese 11th century AD
Aerial fireworks Chinese civilian Around 1200 AD
firework makers
Firework shells, fountains and wheel Italians Renaissance Period
Quick Match Italians Around 1730s
Fireworks in new world Settlers 1600s
New colours and usage of potassium Southern Italy 1830s
perchlorate
Flash Powder Southern Italy 1830s
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Introduction
Pyrotechnics – The art of making Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive technic devices used for
aesthetic, cultural and religious purposes. The fireworks
are designed to burn with flames and sparks of many hues
and patterns.
History
The first fireworks were invented by the Chinese sometime
before 1000AD. They later adapted them for military
applications and advanced the technology of making normal
fireworks, including the invention of crude version of the
aerial fireworks we see today. Fireworks reached Italy
during the Renaissance, where it was improved and evolved
into art. The development of the quick match, colours for
use in rockets and flash powder took place in Italy from
1700s to 1850s. A brief history of fireworks is given in the
table, alongside.
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Fuels Oxidizer Binders
Aluminium Potassium Nitrate Dextrin
Charcoal Potassium Chlorate Red Gum
Dextrin Potassium Perchlorate Synthetic
Magnesium Barium Nitrate Polymers
Red Gum Barium Chlorate
Sulphur Ammonium Perchlorate
Titanium Strontium Nitrate
Antimony Sulphide
Polyvinyl Chloride
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How do fireworks work?
Fireworks consist of fuel, an oxidizer, a binder and
additives for colours. The most common oxidizer is
potassium nitrate and the fuel is usually charcoal or
sulphur (gunpowder). Gunpowder is very sensitive to
sparks and ignites instantly causing fire in fireworks
factories and storehouses. Efforts to replace it with safer
alternatives have not been successful so far. The binder can
be sugar or starch, usually dextrin. When mixed, they
form a paste, which hardens around anything coated with
it. A sparkler is made by dipping a wire of desired length
into the slurry of this mixture. The table alongside lists
various chemicals used in fireworks as fuels, oxidizers,
binders, special effect initiators and their percentage
weight in a standard skyrocket.
Rocket fireworks or skyrockets work much in the same way
that space rockets do. A skyrocket consists of a cylinder
packed with gunpowder and additives for specific colours.
On ignition they propel themselves into the sky and then
burst into one or more colours and patterns.
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Red star Blue star Cone fountain Green fire
KClO3 (64%) KClO4 (38%) KNO3 (53%) NH4ClO4 (50%)
SrCO3 (19%) NH4ClO4 (29%) Fe (32%) Ba(NO3)2 (34%)
Red Gum (13%) CuCO3 (14%) S (8%) Fine Sawdust (8%)
Dextrin (4%) Red Gum (14%) C (2%) Shellac (8%)
Cone Foundatin Dextrin (5%) Al (4%)
Stearic acid (1%)
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Types of fireworks
1. Single-coloured fireworks
A single-coloured skyrocket consists of just a tube filled with
gunpowder, the chemicals needed for that particular colour, a delay
fuse and a long stick to stabilize it while taking off and flying. The
propellant at the bottom and the additives that burst into stars are
packed at the upper part. When the fuse is lit, it burns, igniting
the propellant first and then the additives burst into stars, creating
a colourful display.
2. Multi-coloured fireworks
Multi-coloured rockets work in stages, just like the now outdated
Saturn-V space rockets used to. In a multistage space rocket, each
stage falls away as it finishes its load of fuel. Similarly, in a multi-
coloured rocket, each stage contains chemicals for a different colour,
which explode one after the other. Each segment of chemicals is
separated from the next one by one sheet of cardboard, with the
propellant being packed at the bottom of the rocket. There are many
fuses in a multi-coloured rocket. When the wick is lit, a fast-
burning fuse ignites the propellant first, which subsequently
propels the rocket high into the atmosphere. A slower, delay fuse
then ignites the colour-stages in sequence, with the topmost one
bursting first, followed by one or more colours exploding one after
another in sky. The adjacent table gives a summary of some
chemicals sued for generating colours in a multi-coloured firework.
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Mg Fe
Al BaSO4
SrSO4 CuCl2
K2SO4 MnCl2
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Chemicals required
1. Magnesium (ribbon)
2. Iron (fillings)
3. Aluminium (strip)
4. Strontium Nitrate [Sr(NO3)2]
5. Barium Nitrate [Ba(NO3)2]
6. Copper II Chloride [CuCl2]
7. Potassium Sulphate [K2SO4]
8. Manganese Chloride [MnCl2]
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Procedure and Observation
Sample
Experiment Observation Inference
Taken
1. Magnesium A Magnesium ribbon is It burns brilliantly Magnesium
Ribbon burnt in air. with a dazzling white burns in air to
flame, and a white ash is form Magnesium
left behind. oxide (MgO).
2. Iron fillings Iron fillings are taken The iron fillings burn Iron burns in pure
and are burnt in air. with a bright golden oxygen to form
sparkle. ferric oxide
(Fe2O3).
3. Strip of A strip of Aluminium is A white or silver flame Aluminium burns
Aluminium burnt in air. is observed. in oxygen to form
aluminium oxide
(Al2O3).
4. Strontium A small amount of A red flame is Strontium
Nitrate sample of Strontium observed. Nitrate burns in
[Sr(NO3)2] Nitrate is taken. A air to give a red
platinum wire is dipped flame.
in conc.HCl, then in the
sample and burnt in a
flame.
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Sample Experiment Observation Inference
Taken
5. Barium A small amount of An apple green flame Barium Nitrate
Nitrate sample of Barium is observed. burns in air to give
[Ba(NO3)2] Nitrate was taken. A apple green flame.
platinum wire was
dipped in conc.HCl and
then in sample, and
burnt in a flame.
6. Copper II A small amount of A blue-green flame is Copper II
Chloride Copper II Chloride observed. Chloride burns in
[CuCl2]
sample was taken. A air to give
platinum wire was blue-green flame.
dipped in conc.HCl,
then in sample and then
burnt in a flame.
7. Potassium
Sulphate A small amount of Lilac (violet) colored Potassium
[K2SO4] Potassium Sulphate flames are observed. Sulphate burns in
sample is taken. A air to give a lilac
platinum wire was colored flame.
dipped in conc.HCl,
then in sample and then
burnt in a flame.
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Sample Experiment Observation Inference
Taken
8. Manganese A small amount of A pale yellow-green Manganese
Chloride Manganese Chloride flame is observed. Chloride burns in
[MnCl2] sample is taken. A air to give a green
platinum wire was flame.
dipped in conc.HCl,
then in sample and then
burnt in a flame.
Results
1. Magnesium ribbon burns with a dazzling white
flame.
2. Iron fillings burn with a bright yellow sparkle.
3. Aluminium burns with a white or silver flame.
4. Strontium Nitrate burns with a bright red flame.
5. Barium Nitrate burns with an apple green flame.
6. Copper II Chloride burns with a blue-green flame.
7. Potassium Sulphate burns with a lilac (violet)
flame.
8. Manganese Chloride burns with a pale
yellow-green flame.
All these components are present in fireworks.
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Bibliography
The information and pictures related to this
investigatory project has been collected from :-
1. Dinesh Inorganic Chemistry Class XII
2. Modern’s A.B.C. Chemistry Class XII
3. Inorganic Chemistry of O.P. Tandon
Websites :-
1. www.compoundchem.com
2. www.earthsky.com
3. www.chemfire.com
4. www.acs.com
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