Pavel Mervart Publishing Society for the History of Sciences and Technology

Robert Matyáš:
Historical development of colouring agents used in European fireworks from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century.


2021, Volume 54, Issue 2, pp. 101-121

Abstract

This article summarises the development of chemical composition of European fireworks mixtures in the
seventeenth, eighteenth and in the beginning of the nineteenth century. The attention is especially paid to individual colouring agents which were used to colour the flame of a fireworks mixture. For the colouring agents, physical-chemical principles responsible for the resulting colour of the flame were explained on the basis of the knowledge of modern chemistry and pyrotechnics.

Keywords

History of fireworks; fireworks; pyrotechnics; flame coloring; flame coloring agent; black powder; gun powder

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