Adding Colors to Flash Paper

In this video we make flash paper that flash in different colors.

You can buy most of these chemicals at chemkitdepot.com

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Flash Paper
• make flash paper
• colored flash paper
• colored flames
• adding color to flash paper

[watchmefall555]

I read somewhere that an ammonium perchlorate and copper chloride blend gives a vibrant blue, however that was for a firework composition.

On another note as for your struggling with green compounds wouldn't barium nitrate or peroxide work pretty well for coloring?

[CamoShoeClub]

I like to use acetates because they're very easy to make. I know copper acetate gives a nice blue or green flame and I think iron acetate a red one.

[mcwario13]

You could use cesium chloride or nitrate

[japanesepoptart]

I've heard that cesium salts give a nice sky blue color...but then again, who the hell has cesium salts just laying around?

[TerminalRhinoVirus]

Pretty cool man.

Another cool idea would be to put drops of different solutions on the paper so you get several different colors and color changes on one sheet of paper.

Hopefully the nitrates wouldn't react with the chlorides.. but I doubt there would be too drastic a change in color.

[donnelrj01]

Nice vid.

You should try synthesising some nitrocellulose using magnesium nitrate and nitric acid. The results are excellent. The lack of sulphate esters means the resultant NC is far more stable, and the nitrating solution is better able to penetrate the cellulose fibers.

[911Rstar]

Look at 3:19 -

I think Copper Ammonium Chloride should be Cu(NH3)4Cl2

while its written 3 in place of 4 .

[hkparker]

I once heard boric acid is sometimes used as a flame retardant but I don't have a source for this. Strontium looked awesome, I'm sure it looked even better in person! Dual colors was a great idea as well.

[purplemutantas]

Thanks for posting this. I remember an episode of Mr.Wizards World where he did colored flash paper. He never specified the chemicals used. It's nice to see how it's done. Thanks for bringing me back to my childhood.

[toothpick93]

Another question... would Copper Acetate give a better blue...?