Sciencemadness Discussion Board

NON-HE use of TACN in pyrotechnics?

Intergalactic_Captain - 25-6-2011 at 02:25

I'm not sure quite where this falls in the realm of practical vs academic, but I figured this is a much better place to post the quesition than at APC...

...Simply put, my holiday budget is running thin and the 4th is coming up soon - I've got reds, greens, gold, and silver stars down, but blue is always elusive. A lot of older formulas use "copper ammonium nitrate" or "ammoniated copper nitrate" - Which, lacking a knowledge at the time of just what it was, is the TACN that so many of you guys have played with in recent years...

...Question is simple - COPAE and Weingart's "Pyrotechnics" list a handful of blue star compositions that use TACN - Not sure if it's purely colorant or if it contributes anything else, too much to do to spend the time to do the math out on it...

...Has anyone here worked with any of the TACN based formulae? Something tells me the blues may be quite true, but I've not long until showtime and neeed to decide whether to spend a day preparing TACN or copper oxychloride - The former is much more desirable if nothing more than for the potential speed of production...

Bot0nist - 25-6-2011 at 17:45

You are referring to 1,4,7-triazacyclononane right?


I just scoured Google and could find no reference to its uses in pyrotechnics. A lot of interesting uses as a tridentate ligand it seems.

"It is threefold symmetric and binds to one face of an octahedron of metalloids and transition metals. The (TACN)M unit is kinetically inert, allowing further synthetic transformations on the other coordination sites." -wikipedia

holmes1880 - 25-6-2011 at 20:58

No, he's referring to tetramine copper nitrate- the AN-based blueish-purple thing that people play with. Just because it's blue, it doesn't mean that it burns blue. Being AN-based, it gets wet fast.

Google and YT it. It has no use in pyrotechnics.

asilentbob - 26-6-2011 at 19:09

Hygroscopic.
If your ammonia source is not pure, you will also have contamination. Perhaps even sodium contamination.
I don't think it is worth trying to use.

Black copper oxide (CuO) is readily available at many ceramic suppliers and generally works well for pyrotechnic blues.

If you want more replies, I'd suggest posting at APC as well, or at least searching and reading similar threads. Considering that your considering it for color, not HE effect, just say that and it will be treated as such.

The WiZard is In - 27-6-2011 at 08:40

Quote: Originally posted by Intergalactic_Captain  
I'm not sure quite where this falls in the realm of practical vs academic, but I figured this is a much better place to post the quesition than at APC...


These are the tetraamaine's from The WiZard's Pyrotechnic
Formulary
. [ 2 971 formula.]

Non of these tetraamine's as used — are explosives.
I have doubts 'bout hue and saturation. Please .... report back with your results.

As all use potassium chlorate I have doubts about
stability/safety.




Violet
Eschenbacher 1876 Pyrotechnica Vi
Potassium Chlorate 30 Pts
Strontium Nitrate 20
Tetraaminecopper Nitrate 15
Charcoal 5
Calomel 2
Sulphur 20

Blue
Henley's Dicks 2073
Sulphur 15 Pts
Potassium Sulphate 15
Tetraaminecopper Sulphate 15
Potassium Nitrate 27
Potassium Chlorate 28

Purple
Browne 1883 Pyrotechnica VI
Potassium Chlorate 32 Pts
Tetraaminecopper Chlorate 24
Cupric Oxide 1
Shellac 2
Stearin 4
Sulphur 4
Calomel 12

Violet Blue
Browne 1883 Pyrotechnica Vi
Potassium Chlorate 24pts
Tetraaminecopper Chlorate 16
Copper Sulphide 2
Shellac 2
Stearin 1
Sulphur 8
Calomel 6

Blue
Izzo In Patr2700 C516
Tetraamine Copperchloride 18%
Potassium Perchlorate 73
Stearin 6
Asphaltum 3

Blue
Izzo In Patr2700 C516
Tetraamine Coppernitrate 26%
Potassium Chlorate 53
Charcoal 16
Sulphur 5

Nitrato Di Rame Ammonicale


Blue
Izzo In Patr2700 C516
Tetraamine Coppersulphate 27.5%
Potassium Chlorate 54
Charcoal 18

Solfato Di Rame Ammonicale


Blue
Chemical Formulary
Potassium Chlorate 6 Pts
Tetraamine Coppersulphate 8
Shellac 1
Willow Charcoal 2