Angela+Jaszarowski+and+Madi+McCoy

Changing the Color of Fire

**Purpose:** When people think of fire, they typically think of a fire that is yellow with a little bit of blue in it. With the right chemicals, fire can change color. We wanted to see which chemicals would cause the color to change from the traditional yellow/red and why it happened. For a fire to start, it typically comes from a chemical reaction between oxygen and some sort of fuel (like gasoline). For it to actually react and make a flame, you have to heat the fuel to its ignition temperature. When the temperature reaches about 300 degrees Fahrenheit, the heat from the wood releases some of the cellulose material. When gas is given off it is called smoke. The gases form when some of the decomposed material is released as volatile gas. (Harris, 2013) The left over material forms char, which is pretty much pure carbon and ash. The actual burning of the fire wood happens in two reactions. First is the heating of the wood and the releasing of gases. The reactants are wood and heat which make the products: charred wood and gas. The next reaction is when the gases react with oxygen in the atmosphere. Gas and oxygen react to get water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon, and nitrogen. All of these products make up the initial flame and then the fire keeps growing. The color of the light emitted depends on the energy of the photons emitted. A flame has a lot of different energies given off. Each element has a distinctive color to it and has its own energy present also. When the fire and the element react, it produces a color that is not likely to repeat with another reaction. (Why do Certain Elements Change Color Over a Flame, 1999). Many substances are linked to a specific color production. For example, substances that are high in sodium burn yellow, and substances that are high in potassium will burn purple. The link between the fire and chemicals is used to make the different colors in fireworks. (Beach, 2006).

M ight want to put a few more citations to add that authenticity-Your favorite Noah Hahn **Hypothesis:** If we mix chemicals with fire, then the chemicals will react with the flame and cause it to change colors. What are the specific chemicals that will make the fire change colors?- Kelly Glick

**Procedure:** Be more specific about what you are lining up in color order, is it the chemicals or wood?- Kelly Glick
 * First, you get a rectangle piece of wood.
 * Put it on a non-flammable surface.
 * Dish out 1 tablespoon of each powder chemical.
 * Line them up according to the Rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet on the wood.
 * For some cases it may work better to separate the alike colors because they may run together and then you won't be able to see the distint colors.
 * Put them on the wood.
 * Light a match.
 * Run it along the top of the powder chemicals.
 * Last, the flame should ignite and then you will be able to see the different chemicals.


 * Materials: **
 * Rubbing Alcohol: already have
 * Matches: already have
 * Piece of Wood: already have
 * Strontium Nitrate: $9.50
 * Calcium Chloride: $5.40
 * Sodium Chloride: $7.85
 * Copper Sulfate: $10.45
 * Potassium Chloride: $5.25

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__** Works Cited: **__

1. Beach, Emily. "Why Does Fire Change Color? | EHow." //EHow //. Demand Media, 05 Aug. 2009. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. < [|http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5269915_fire-change- color.html] >

2. Harris, Tom. "How Fire Works." // HowStuffWorks //. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. < http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire1.htm>

3. Helmenstine, Anne M. "Rainbow of Colored Flames." // About.com Chemistry //. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. < http://chemistry.about.com/od/coloredfire/a/Rainbow-Of-Colored-Flames.htm>

4. "Why Do Certain Elements Change Color over a Flame?: Scientific American." // Why Do Certain Elements Change Color over a Flame?: Scientific American //. N.p., 29 Mar. 1999. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. < http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-certain-elements-c>

Use more detail in your purpose. It was very basic. -Kylie Ashton Try using more quotes or refrences to what you found in your research. -Addison Baele Put your bibliography in the correct format. -Addison Baele Be more specific in your procedure and explain more of what you are dong in each step-Ashlyn Peters Try to add more detail and more reasons why you chose this-brock and isaac T