🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1ilv9tINNk6n@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>, pyro@gu.uwa.edu.au (Jay) writes:
>  Does anyone know an easy way to colour flames?
>  We have some:
>	Strontium Chloride, Barium Chloride, Copper Sulphate,
>	and Calcium Sulphate.
>
>  Unfortunately, hydrocarbons (eg kerosine/parrafin and lamp oil) are not
>solvents for these compounds.  However, some of them are soluble in ethanol
>(cf methylated spirits) but the flame is barely coloured.  Since strontium
>and barium are supposed to give very bright flames, we were wondering if
>anyone had done this before.
>
>  BTW, what's the address of moocow?
>
>
>pyro         

  Moocow is moocow.cogsci.indiana.edu.

  Strontium Chloride is listed as being "very slightly soluble"  in absolute 
ethanol.  This is not enough to give good color.  I don't like Strontium's 
color as much as Lithium.  Lithium Chloride at around 3M will give you a 
strongly colored red flame.  
  Throw the Barium Chloride away.  It's not soluble and too toxic.  Just 
use Boric Acid (usually you can get it at a grocery store or drug store).  
It is very soluble an produces a good green.  Add a little Copper Nitrate 
for more intensity.
  The sulfates are to be avoided because of the burning sulfur smell 
you'll end up with.  Calcium's only going to give you a normal flame color 
anyway.  Copper almost always gives green.  It is the ion CuCl that emits 
blue -- but it is unstable at temperatures above 1200 oC and degrades into 
the green emitter CuOH.  By using CuCl2 I always get a green flame until 
the torch has almost burnt out -- then for a few seconds the blue color 
appears.  If you could think of some way to control the flame temp you 
could get a great blue color.
  This stuff will corrode your wicks and torches.  Also don't use different 
colors on the same torch.  Once you've use a torch for a certain color only 
use it for that color from then on.  Otherwise you end up with ugly 
mixtures of colors.


_______________________________________________________________________
Phillip SanMiguel               Purdue
maize@bilbo.bio.purdue.edu       Institute for
                                  Molecular    "We'll do anything
  Bennetzen Lab                    Plant          for funding."
                                    Science
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