A Strontium- and Chlorine-Free Pyrotechnic Illuminant of High Color Purity.

The development of a red-light-emitting pyrotechnic illuminant has garnered interest from the pyrotechnics community owing to potential regulations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) regarding the use of strontium and chlorinated organic materials. To address these environmental regulatory concerns, the development of lithium-based red-light-emitting pyrotechnic compositions of high purity and color quality is described. These formulations do not contain strontium or chlorinated organic materials. Rather, the disclosed formulations are based on a non-hygroscopic dilithium nitrogen-rich salt that serves as both oxidizer and red colorant. These formulations are likely to draw interest from the civilian fireworks and military pyrotechnics communities for further development as they both have a vested interest in the development of environmentally conscious formulations.

Copper(I) Bromide: An Alternative Emitter for Blue-Colored Flame Pyrotechnics.

Copper(I) bromide was evaluated as an alternative emitter for blue flame pyrotechnic compositions. CuBr and CuCl emission spectra were recorded from a butane torch flame and compared. Cu(BrO3 )2 was synthesized and used in pyrotechnic compositions as an oxidizer and the source for the generation of CuBr species. Pyrotechnic compositions, which contained copper and potassium bromates as oxidizers, were optimized for the generation of blue flames. The experimental data, including emission spectra of the flames, chromaticity coordinates, burning rates, luminous intensities, and sensitivity tests, were analyzed and compared.

Green colorants based on energetic azole borates.

The investigation of green-burning boron-based compounds as colorants in pyrotechnic formulations as alternative for barium nitrate, which is a hazard to health and to the environment, is reported. Metal-free and nitrogen-rich dihydrobis(5-aminotetrazolyl)borate salts and dihydrobis(1,3,4-triazolyl)borate salts have been synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and vibrational spectroscopy. Their thermal and energetic properties have been determined as well. Several pyrotechnic compositions using selected azolyl borate salts as green colorants were investigated. Formulations with ammonium dinitramide and ammonium nitrate as oxidizers and boron and magnesium as fuels were tested. The burn time, dominant wavelength, spectral purity, luminous intensity, and luminous efficiency as well as the thermal and energetic properties of these compositions were measured.

Chlorine-free pyrotechnics: copper(I) iodide as a "green" blue-light emitter.

The generation of blue-light-emitting pyrotechnic formulations without the use of chlorine-containing compounds is reported. Suitable blue-light emission has been achieved through the generation of molecular emitting copper(I) iodide. The most optimal copper(I) iodide based blue-light-emitting formulation was found to have performances exceeding those of chlorine-containing compositions, and was found to be insensitive to various ignition stimuli.

Energetic salts of the binary 5-cyanotetrazolate anion ([C2N5]-) with nitrogen-rich cations.

The reaction of cyanogen (NC-CN) with MN(3) (M=Na, K) in liquid SO(2) leads to the formation of the 5-cyanotetrazolate anion as the monohemihydrate sodium (1·1.5 H(2)O) and potassium (2) salts, respectively. Both 1·1.5 H(2)O and 2 were used as starting materials for the synthesis of a new family of nitrogen-rich salts containing the 5-cyanotetrazolate anion and nitrogen-rich cations, namely ammonium (3), hydrazinium (4), semicarbazidium (5), guanidinium (6), aminoguanidinium (7), diaminoguanidinium (8), and triaminoguanidinium (9). Compounds 1-9 were synthesised in good yields and characterised by using analytical and spectroscopic methods. In addition, the crystal structures of 1·1.5 H(2)O, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9·H(2)O were determined by using low-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction. An insight into the hydrogen bonding in the solid state is described in terms of graph-set analysis. Differential scanning calorimetry and sensitivity tests were used to assess the thermal stability and sensitivity against impact and friction of the materials, respectively. For the assessment of the energetic character of the nitrogen-rich salts 3-9, quantum chemical methods were used to determine the constant volume energies of combustion, and these values were used to calculate the detonation velocity and pressure of the salts using the EXPLO5 computer code. Additionally, the performances of formulations of the new compounds with ammonium nitrate and ammonium dinitramide were also predicted. Lastly, the ICT code was used to determine the gases and heats of explosion released upon decomposition of the 5-cyanotetrazolate salts.

Comparison of Functionalized Lithium Dihydrobis(azolyl)borates with Their Corresponding Azolates as Environmentally Friendly Red Pyrotechnic Coloring Agents.

The recent awareness of the impact of strontium on health has stimulated research efforts on lithium-based red pyrotechnic colorants. We have previously shown lithium dihydrobis(azolyl)borates to be promising candidates due to their favorable adjustment to a reductive and low-temperature flame atmosphere. These compounds are assumed to be sufficiently stable only if the pKa values of the heterocycles are between 5 and 20. Apart from their acidities, functionalization of 1H-tetrazole and 1H-pyrazole with nitro or amino groups, respectively, tailors the oxygen balances of the resulting Lewis acid base adducts to enhance the fuel-rich flame environment or to make them oxidizing agents. This work determines whether the lithium salts of dihydrobis(3-nitropyrazol-1-yl)borate and dihydrobis(5-aminotetrazol-1-yl)borate are suitable replacements for strontium-containing color imparters. Furthermore, the influence of potentially green-light-producing boron is evaluated by comparing the emissions of the lithium borates and the corresponding lithium azolates.

Improved green-light-emitting pyrotechnic formulations based on tris(2,2,2-trinitroethyl)borate and boron carbide.

Green-light-emitting pyrotechnic compositions based on tris(2,2,2-trinitroethyl)borate (TNEB) and boron carbide have been investigated. The best performing formulations were found to be insensitive to various ignition stimuli, and exhibited very high spectral purities and luminosities compared to previously reported green-light-emitting formulations.