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- Iron(III) Oxide (Fe2O3) sold by pottery suppliers as "Red Iron Oxide".
- Iron(II,III) Oxide (Fe3O4) which is what you'll probably get from a pottery supplier if you order "Black Iron Oxide".
- Iron(II) Oxide (FeO) which you may get if you order "Black Iron Oxide" from a pottery supplier.
I have tried thermites based on the first two types of oxide. In both cases, I have used 5g of 200 mesh aluminium powder mixed with a stoichiometric amount of the iron oxide:
- Thermite based on iron(III) oxide burns vigourously. This is the form that should be used if you simply want to generate heat (for example, to ignite another pyrotechnic composition).
- Thermite based on iron(II,III) oxide burns more slowly, but the reaction is far more spectacular, with globules of moltern iron being noisily spat out.
