Scientists Say Fireworks Are Just Chemistry — Here’s Why Each One Goes Off in the Color It Does

Fireworks light up the sky like no other. It comes with different dazzling colors, from red and green to blue, violet, and more. Some people might think that those colors are totally random, depending on the substance used, but in reality, they are carefully planned based on chemistry.

Each of those colors you see comes from specific metals, or to be accurate, from the metal salts. These are compounds that are created by combining metal ions with non-metal ions. The metal salts can produce light at different wavelengths when heated, which is what we use to produce the colorful fireworks of today.

How Fireworks Produce Color

When fireworks ignite, they undergo a process called atomic emission. First, it heats up the metal atoms, which would then excite or give energy to electrons, and as those particles return to a normative energy level, it also releases light at specific wavelengths, creating visible colors rather than just white.

This is the same principle that astronomers used to study stars and other celestial bodies. Based on their atomic emissions, physicists could identify their chemical composition, since different elements emit a specific wavelength of light.

In other words, fireworks are a demonstration of our scientists’ knowledge about atoms and astrophysics, and it would have never been possible without understanding this concept.

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The Role of Metal Salts

The Science Behind Firework Colors

Different metal salts undergo the same process of atomic emission, but different elements produce light at specific wavelengths, causing the appearance of various visible colors other than just white. Here are the different metal compounds that are responsible for specific colors in fireworks:

• Strontium carbonate creates bright red bursts.
• Sodium nitrate produces vivid yellow or orange.
• Barium chloride generates glowing green effects.
• Copper chloride results in striking blue colors.

Now, if you notice, these are only a few of the colors we can see during a fireworks event. To achieve more complex hues like purple, scientists have to combine different compounds to find the wavelength that will emit that light.

An example would be mixing strontium carbonate (red) with copper chloride (blue) to create a purple hue. Experts also highlight the importance of the purity of the substance used, as some compounds can overpower others, resulting in a different light than intended.

Incandescence vs. Luminescence

Incandescence refers to the art of producing bright light, like white, yellow, and orange colors, from superheated metals like aluminum or magnesium. Luminescence, on the other hand, is responsible for the lower energy colored light, like blue, violet, and green, which utilizes the metal salts energized at lower temperatures .

During fireworks, experts mixed the use of both to create the best display possible. By balancing both concepts, they were able to create fireworks that burst with crisp, vibrant, and long-lasting colors. In short, fireworks are just chemistry at work.

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What About Uranium?

Uranium is also a compound that reacts to extreme heat, but unlike the others, like strontium or copper, it does not emit visible light in the same way. The color we see during a nuclear explosion is primarily caused by thermal radiation, and not the elements glowing.

The extreme temperatures that will be generated will heat up the surrounding atoms and materials to the point of incandescence, the same concept in fireworks that makes up the bright visible lights, as discussed above.

Although, in totality, it is a completely different process that utilizes atomic fission, and not the same chemical reactions that are used in the normal and beautiful fireworks that we enjoy.

The Science Of Firework Color

Author's Final Thoughts

Every fireworks that we enjoy today is the result of our progress in understanding science and chemistry. The distinct colors are atomic signatures released in an instant by specific elements when heated. So, the next time you admire a firework, remember that you are witnessing the periodic table come to life.

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