Legend has it that Chinese alchemist mixed saltpeter (or potassium nitrate) with sulfur and charcoal to form crude gunpowder
sometime between 600 and 900 C.E. while searching for an
elixir for immortality.
Gunpowder was used in fireworks prior to being used in weapons.
The colours in fireworks is due to burning metals. Elements burn at different light frequencies (wavelengths) and different mixes of metals result in different fireworks colours:
- deep reds from strontium and lithium
- blues from copper
- silver / white from titanium and magnesium
- orange from calcium
- yellow from sodium
- green from barium; and
- neon green and turquoise from combining barium or copper with chlorine
(#63 of 100)