How to Make Colored Fire

The annual campfire at the beach was well underway. Yellow flames sizzled about and ate the regular supply of logs, that Perry and Blake fed it from time to time. Then someone threw in a piece of paper and the flames suddenly took to a dark orange color. They spewed up into the air in one quick burst and came hissing down to settle between an alternating rhythm of a yellow/orange/red dance. The wind played games and the flames followed. And then, out of the blue, the flames took to a green color! Silence reigned. Everyone stared at the colored fire. How did that happen! Was that voodoo? Or did some evil force do it? Silence filled the air and nervous whispers about leaving ASAP were heard, and then the silence is punctured by a thunder of laughter! With tears streaming down his eyes and clutching at his sides, Ronan admits it was him. He had simply added a chemical called copper sulfate to the fire and the result was a green colored flame. Everyone stared at him dumbfounded. Then just to drive his point home, Ronan threw a fistful of powder into the fire and produced red flames...

Sounds awesome, this idea about colored fire, right? You can do it too! There are some chemicals which when added to a fire can change its color. A fire flame is usually orange, yellow, red or white in color, but when a chemical, generally metal salts are added to the flame, their atomic emission spectra changes the frequencies of light radiation (visible light, that is) and that change brings about colored flames, as we see them.

The Chemicals Used

It is important to state the chemicals that can be used for this experiment and the color of the flames that they will produce. Given below is a table that will state the chemicals and the corresponding colors they will produce.

Chemical Names	Color
Lithium Chloride	Dark Red
Sodium Borate	Yellowish Green
Copper Chloride/Butane	Blue
Potassium Chloride	Purple
Calcium Chloride	Orange
Sodium Chloride/Sodium Carbonate	Yellow
Magnesium Sulfate	White
Potassium Sulfate and Potassium Nitrate. 3:1 Ratio	Violet
Strontium Chloride	Red
Copper Sulfate	Green
Lithium Chloride	Pink
Iron Fillings	Gold Sparks
Aluminum Powder	Silver Sparks

The Making

How to get the fire to change color? There are 3 ways with which you can do this.

• Soaking the logs or any other material (that you'll be using to burn) in a mixture of alcohol and chemicals, then drying them.
• Soaking the logs in a mixture of water and chemical elements and then drying them.
• Sprinkling chemicals into the open fire for an immediate effect.

Let's get into a little detail with this one and tell you exactly how to prepare the equipment - let's call it the colored fire experiment.

How to Prepare the Material

Materials

1. Pour about a gallon of water into a bucket and add to it about half a pound of chemical color.
2. Mix it in by stirring.
3. Now add the objects of your choice - pine cones, logs, sawdust, hardwood or coconut husks to this and stir in.
4. You could use a different object for a different color.
5. Any material that is 'fire friendly' can be used for this. But make sure it has the capacity to burn for a long time. Unlike things like paper which burn off rather quickly.
6. Let the objects stay in this solution overnight.
7. You can even add liquid glue to the mixture so that the objects stick together in chunks, especially for sawdust.
8. After soaking it for several hours, get the objects out and spread them out on a sheet so they will dry.
9. This works when you are planning to use these for a campfire but for a burner you will need to use an alcohol solution to mix the colorants in, instead of water. The rest of the procedure remains the same.
10. Your raw material is all set to be used!

Wax Patties

1. Take wax from any old candle and carefully melt it in a vessel.
2. Use paper cups and pour the chemicals at the base of the cup (till th fills).
3. Now add the melted wax and stir.
4. Make sure no lumps remain.
5. Let the wax set.
6. Simply cut the cup out and get the patties out.
7. Throw the different colored patties into the fire for an awesome effect.

Points to Remember

• Do not make use of this form of fire when cooking, it can be toxic.
• Make sure that all the cooking is done before you use it in a campfire.
• Be careful around kids and maintain effective fire safety pointers.
• Most of these substances can be bought at a laundry, chemist or drug store.

Bet you can't wait for your next campfire! These colored fire tricks are bound to drop a few jaws all the way to the ground and up your cool quotient to an awe inspiring level! Let the fireworks begin!