What makes the colors in fireworks?

Answer 1

The colors are produced by different chemical additives that, when being oxidized, give off a particular wavelength of light corresponding to a particular color. I've listed many different elements/chemicals and their corresponding color
KEY:
COLOR ATOMIC SYMBOL NAME OF ELEMENT/COMPOUND

Intense Yellow Na Sodium is probably the brightest of all coloring agents and infact can sometimes almost over power magnesium in its flame brightness

Yellowish Green Mo If the molybdenum is in the form of the oxide or the sulfide.

Bright Green Green color is due to the blue and orange in the spectrum.

Pale Green bluish P The phosphorus color is not very prominint .

Bluish Green Zn Zinc appears as bright streaks in the flame.

Pale Green Te Tellurium is not very decisive.


Pale Green Sb Antimony is not very decisive.

Pale Green Pb Lead but it is not usually very prominint

Blue Azure CuCl2 The outer darts of the flame are tinged with emerald-green.

Blue Azure Se The selenium color is accompanied by the characteristic odor of rotting radishes.

Blue In The element Indium is named for the prominent blue color of its flame.

Blue As The arsenic color is accompanied by the characteristic odor of garlic.

Pale Violet K The potassium color is often masked by the more prominent yellow from sodium.

Pale Violet is Rb The rubidium color is often masked by the more prominent yellow from sodium.

Pale Violet Cs The cesium color is often masked by the more prominent yellow from sodium.

Answer 2

The colors are a result of the different kinds of metals used in the making of the fireworks.

Answer 3

What Makes The Colors?
I continually receive a number of inquiries about what makes the different colors in fireworks. Let's first tell you that the points of light ejected from aerial shells, Roman candles, etc., are called STARS, in the fireworks industry. They are pellets of chemicals that burn in different colors, depending on what chemicals are used in them. Stars generally have the four following things in them: A fuel to burn, oxygen producing chemical(s), color producing chemical(s) and a binder chemical to keep the star "glued" together. The different color producing chemicals normally used are:

RED: Strontium compounds; YELLOW: Sodium compounds; GREEN: Barium compounds; BLUE: Copper compounds plus a chlorine producer; PURPLE: a mixture of strontium and copper compounds; GOLD: charcoal or lampblack; SILVER: burning titanium, aluminum or magnesium powder or flakes.

Answer 4

Mostly metals. When they are heated to a high temperature, as in fireworks, they explode and make pretty colors. A chemistry book will tell you which metals make which colors.

Answer 5

fireworks makers will put charges of different metals into the fireworks to make them burn different colors. the remainder of the firework is just black powder. The black powder excites the electrons of the metal and when they fall down to their ground state, they release photons of the desired wavelength. This link explains what metals create what colors:

http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa062701a.htm

Answer 6

Chemical compounds I guess.

For example, Lithium imparts a beautiful crimson color to a flame, but when the metal burns strongly the flame is a dazzling white.

Answer 7

The first guy has it right. I believe they use four different chemicals in different combinations and ratios to achieve the many colors.

Answer 8

I agree that the colors come from the different chemicals as they burn - one of my favorite chemistry labs was burning different chemicals to determine what they were by watching the color of the flame! (Just slightly pyro...)

Answer 9

I THINK THAT IT'S THE POWER THAT IS IN fireworks.

Answer 10

All the different chemicals