Science Common Sense

166 - How do fireworks get their colors?

Fireworks get their colors from special chemicals called metal salts. These salts are mixed with gunpowder and ignite when heated.

Different salts create different colors:

• Red comes from strontium or lithium salts.
• Green comes from barium salts.
• Yellow comes from sodium salts.
• Blue comes from copper salts.
• Purple comes from mixing red and blue salts.

When the fireworks explode, these salts heat up and release energy in the form of colored light, creating the beautiful colors we see in the sky.