33 replies to this topic

[MDH]

I am not sure why people are so focused on the benzoates. Propionates are easily attainable. They contain less of an oversaturation of fuel. They would yield better colors. Lactates are short chain fuels and calcium lactate is also readily attainable. Double decompositions with soluble calcium would always yield insoluble calcium sulfate and a lactate.

That doesn't even start ascorbates, citrates or other fuels.

As I've said before, it might be a good idea to bring exotic benzoate, metal oxidant, or other discussions to the exotic chemical thread since the rest of the thread can be overlooked for information we might have already discussed...

Edited by MDH, 31 July 2010 - 03:15 PM.

[Potassium chlorate]

In this specific case I was intererested in the benzoate simply because blue is always harder to produce in a flame than other colours.

My favourite for green is barium chlorate and my favourite for red is strontium nitrate. For yellow it's cryolite.

Edited by Pyroswede, 31 July 2010 - 04:48 PM.

[Mumbles]

The benzoates gained popularity in a search for colored whistle rockets. They have nice handling properties. The problem with some of the shorter chain fuels is that they can burn too easily, and thus too hot. That just requires tweaking the formula to get around of course.

[Potassium chlorate]

I might have an even more elegant solution, though I would also like to try Paris Green to get a good blue. My stars are usually based on chlorates.