Green Fire Twister... and Other Colors!

Since posting instructions for the fire tornado project, I have received requests to describe the green fire twister in greater detail and to list chemicals that may be used to produce other colors of flame. Basically, what you want to do is dissolve the appropriate powdered chemical in alcohol. The reason you use alcohol is because it has a blue flame that is easily colored by the emission spectra of other ions. You will want to dissolve salts to dissociate them into ions. Here is a list of common colorants and where to find them: Carmine - lithium salts - found in lithium batteries Red - strontium nitrate - found in emergency flares Orange - calcium chloride - bleaching powder and desiccant, best dissolved in 70% alcohol Yellow - sodium chloride - table salt White - magnesium sulfate - Epsom salts, also you can get white from ground aluminum or magnesium metal Green - boric acid, borax or copper sulfate - insecticide, cleaning powder, algicide... be sure to check label for chemical Blue - copper(I) chloride - make it, or you can use arsenic or lead, but be advised arsenic and lead are toxic Violet - potassium chloride (salt substitute) or potassium nitrate (saltpeter, a preservative or you can make it Green Fire Twister Instructions | Green Fire Twister Video
Source: About.com Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Source Type: news