131 replies to this topic

[Potassium chlorate]

Ive seen hce in a few comps including smoke comps, never found anywhere to buy it though, where do you get yours?

There is at least one supplier here in Sweden. Though you can also buy it - cheaper - from KeteN or Czort.

[CCH Concepts]

sounds worth a go. when i got properly back into it ill give it ago.

[CCH Concepts]

can you buy citric acid in liquid form or is in only powder/crystalline. i cant find liquid?

[Potassium chlorate]

can you buy citric acid in liquid form or is in only powder/crystalline. i cant find liquid?

At least here in Sweden there are usually cleaners with about 10% citric acid in them. Though it's cheaper to buy it as a powder.

[CCH Concepts]

for reacting with say BaCO3 to get Barium citrate what ration of powder to water would i use?

[Potassium chlorate]

I have no idea about the concentration, though it wouldn't be too difficult to calculate the ratio of dry acid powder vs. barium carbonate. A 10% solution would probably do, though, at least if you heat it up.

[CCH Concepts]

Could I just mix a solution and keep adding the carbonate till it hit 7ph? I should just be left with Barium citrate and CO2 gas shouldn't I?

[Mumbles]

Barium citrate wont have a pH of 7. I'd go until the stuff stops bubbling, or calculate the correct ratio. It should be 3 moles of barium carbonate for 2 moles of citric acid. Keep in mind that pottery grade barium carbonate isn't pure, so your ratios may be off, and your product may be slightly contaminated.

[CCH Concepts]

if im using barium citrate as an oxydiser will barium carbonate contamination make a huge difference, plus could i boil off off one or the other of them?

[MDH]

Strictly speaking, barium citrate cannot be an oxidizer in pyrotechnic formulas.

[CCH Concepts]

Strictly speaking, barium citrate cannot be an oxidizer in pyrotechnic formulas.

How comes? I was under the impression (probably wrongly) that any metal salt given the right initiation conditions could act as an oxidiser. Am I wrong?

[MDH]

I believe I said this in another thread. Only inorganic compounds can be used as oxidants because the organic compounds will compete for oxygen in the overall reaction, forming CO2 and water. Even in the presence of excess (Coarser grade) magnesium to reduce them and perhaps allow the reaction to continue and form magnesium oxides, you are still slowing down the reaction immensely.

Barium citrate is fuel rich, which is why it should be used as a fuel rather than an oxidizer, perhaps in conjunction with a small amount of sulfur to move along its reduction, and a typical chlorine donor.

You may try reacting it with magnesium but I guarantee you it will be incredibly slow. Slower than magnesium in the air.

[CCH Concepts]

I do think i remember you saying something before, sorry about that. Completely forgot. I'm guessing that's the same for acetate aswell.

[MDH]

I have found a supplier via Alibaba of copper thiocyanate, who is selling it for a fairly low price and is willing to supply minimum quantities of 50-100kg, which I can afford easily and would be willing to resell. Since copper thiocyanate was mentioned earlier, would the previous poster follow up on where its use is mentioned? Are there any threads?

It seem to me that it would be better than copper benzoate given its relatively high amount of copper (more than 50%).

The thiocyanates seem fairly interesting in general since they combine high reactivity with a strong metallic content.

[pyrotrev]

I have found a supplier via Alibaba of copper thiocyanate, who is selling it for a fairly low price and is willing to supply minimum quantities of 50-100kg, which I can afford easily and would be willing to resell. Since copper thiocyanate was mentioned earlier, would the previous poster follow up on where its use is mentioned? Are there any threads?

It seem to me that it would be better than copper benzoate given its relatively high amount of copper (more than 50%).

The thiocyanates seem fairly interesting in general since they combine high reactivity with a strong metallic content.

You're right about the high reactivity, I'd be very careful when using it, and never with chlorates. CuSCN + KClO3 have been a feature of various percussion cap mixes for some years :-o