OK, so basically, I'm going to insert information that could help you understand what some of the stuff we're talking about is. I will list a few things that are commonly asked about and the like.


Table of Contents
-Notes on chemical groups-
-Gun Powder-
-Black Powder-
-Smokeless Powder-
-Lift Powder-
-Flash Powder-
-Trinitrotoluene(TNT)-
-Nitrogen Tri-Iodide(NI3/Touch explosives)-
-Safety-



Note: Not all of this is originally written by me, since I don't know all of this off the top of my head.
CHEMICALS HAVE A CERTAIN PURPOSE TO PERFORM IN FIREWORKS AND CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO FOUR GROUPS:

GROUP I: These chemicals are the chemicals which produce the oxygen and are called oxidizers.

GROUP II: Those which combine with the oxidizers are called reducers.

GROUP III: These are the chemicals which regulate the rate of burning and help to produce the desired effect.

GROUP IV: This group of chemicals are those which impart color to the flame.


Gun Powder:
Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a propellant in firearms. Both forms of gunpowder are low explosives. As it burns, a subsonic deflagration wave is produced rather than the supersonic detonation wave which high explosives produce. As a result, pressures generated inside a gun are sufficient to propel a bullet, but not sufficient to destroy the barrel. At the same time, this makes gunpowder less suitable for shattering rock or fortifications, applications where high explosives are preferred.

Gunpowder was invented in China and is considered one of the Four great inventions of ancient China.

Gunpowder was the first known chemical explosive and propellant. The earliest record of gunpowder, a Chinese book from c. 850 AD called "Classified Essentials of the Mysterious Tao of the True Origin of Things," indicates that gunpowder was a byproduct of Taoist alchemical efforts to develop an elixir of immortality:

Some have heated together sulfur, realgar and saltpeter with honey; smoke and flames result, so that their hands and faces have been burnt, and even the whole house where they were working burned down.

The Chinese first used gunpowder in warfare in 904, as incendiary projectiles called "flying fires." Its use was soon expanded to explosive grenades hurled from catapults. The third step was to use gunpowder as a propellant. Its first such use was recorded in 1132 in experiments with mortars consisting of bamboo tubes. Mortars with metal tubes (made of iron or bronze) first appeared in the wars (1268-1279) between the Mongols and the Song Dynasty.

Gunpowder spread to the Arabs in the 13th century.

There is no direct record of how gunpowder came to be known in Europe. Most scholars believe that the knowledge spread west from China to the Middle East and then Europe, possibly via the Silk Road.[6][7][8] Other historians believe that gunpowder was probably discovered independently by different cultures at different times, as James Partington writes in his History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder:

Gunpowder is not, of course, an 'invention' in the modern sense, the product of a single time and place; no individual's name can be attached to it, nor can that of any single nation or region. Fire is one of the primordial forces of nature, and incendiary weapons have had a place in armies' toolkits for almost as long as civilized states have made war.

In Europe, the first written mention of the composition of gunpowder in express terms was in Roger Bacon's "De nullitate magiæ" at Oxford in 1216. [9] In Bacon's "De Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturae" in 1248, he states: "We can, with saltpeter and other substances, compose artificially a fire that can be launched over long distances... By only using a very small quantity of this material much light can be created accompanied by a horrible fracas. It is possible with it to destroy a town or an army ... In order to produce this artificial lightning and thunder it is necessary to take saltpeter, sulfur, and Luru Vopo Vir Can Utriet." The last part is probably some sort of coded anagram for the quantities needed. In the "Opus Maior" he describes firecrackers around 1267: "a child’s toy of sound and fire made in various parts of the world with powder of saltpeter, sulphur and charcoal of hazelwood."[10] The confusion of these two references have led to many widespread misunderstandings about Bacon and Gunpowder.

The process of "corning" black powder was a further important improvement, and was developed in Europe probably during the late 14th century.[11] Corning involves forcing damp powder through a sieve to form it into granules which harden when dry, preventing the component ingredients of gunpowder from separating over time, thus making it far more reliable and consistent. It also allowed for better ignition, as the granules allowed for air pockets in between granules.

Composition

Black powder is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate or, less frequently, sodium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur with a ratio (by weight) of approximately 15:3:2 respectively. The ratio has changed over the centuries of its use, and can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder.

Characteristics/Use

Unlike smokeless propellants, it acts more like an explosive since its burn rate is not affected by pressure, but it is a very poor explosive because it has a very slow decomposition rate and therefore a very low brisance. This same property that makes it a poor explosive makes it useful as a propellant — the lack of brisance keeps the black powder from shattering the barrel, and directs the energy to propelling the bullet. Historically, potassium nitrate was extracted from manure by a process superficially similar to composting. "Nitre beds" took about a year to produce crystallized potassium nitrate. The main disadvantages of black powder are a relatively low energy density (compared to modern smokeless powders) and the extremely large quantities of soot left behind. During the combustion process, less than half of black powder is converted to gas. The rest ends up as a thick layer of soot inside the barrel and a dense cloud of white smoke. In addition to being a nuisance, the residue in the barrel is hydrophilic and an anhydrous caustic substance. When moisture from the air is absorbed, the potassium oxide or sodium oxide turn into hydroxides, which will corrode wrought iron or steel gun barrels. Black powder arms must be well cleaned inside and out after firing to remove the residue. The thick smoke of black powder is also a tactical disadvantage, as it can quickly become so opaque as to impair aiming.

The size of the granules of powder and the confinement determine the burn rate of black powder. Finer grains result in greater surface area, which results in a faster burn. Tight confinement in the barrel causes a column of black powder to explode, which is the desired result. Not seating the bullet firmly against the powder column can result in a harmonic shockwave, which can create a dangerous over-pressure condition and damage the gun barrel. One of the advantages of black powder is that precise loading of the charge is not as vital as with smokeless powder firearms and is carried out using volumetric measures rather than precise weight. However, overloading causing damage to a gun and its shooter is still possible. The lack of pressure sensitivity means that the mass of the bullet makes little or no difference to the amount of powder used. A full charge of black powder seated by just a small wad of paper, with no bullet, will still burn just as quickly as if it had a full weight bullet in front of it. This makes black powder well suited for blank rounds, signal flares, and rescue line launches.____________________________________________


Black Powder:
Black powder is the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. It has largely been superseded by more efficient explosives such as smokeless powders and TNT. It is still manufactured today but primarily for use in fireworks, model rocket engines, and reproductions of muzzleloading weapons.

Black powder consists of the granular ingredients sulfur (S), charcoal (provides carbon to the reaction) and saltpetre (saltpetre, potassium nitrate, KNO3; provides oxygen to the reaction).

A simple, commonly cited, chemical equation for the combustion of black powder is:

2 KNO3 + S + 3C → K2S + N2 + 3CO2

A more accurate, but still simplified[1], equation is :10 KNO3 + 3S + 8C → 2K2CO3 + 3K2SO4 + 6 CO2 + 5N2

The products of burning do not follow any simple equation. One study's results showed it produced (in order of descending quantities): 55.91% solid products: Potassium carbonate, Potassium sulfate, Potassium sulfide, Sulfur, Potassium nitrate, Potassium thiocyanate, Carbon, Ammonium carbonate. 42.98% gaseous products: Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen, Carbon monoxide, Hydrogen sulfide, Hydrogen, Methane. 1.11% water

The optimum proportions for gunpowder are: 74.64% saltpetre, 13.51% charcoal, and 11.85% sulfur (by weight). The current standard for black powder manufactured by pyrotechnicians today is 75% potassium nitrate, 15% softwood charcoal and 10% sulfur.

For the most powerful black powder "meal" a wood charcoal is used. The best wood for the purpose is pacific willow, but others such as alder or buckthorn can be used. The ingredients are mixed as thoroughly as possible. This is achieved using a ball mill with non-sparking grinding apparatus (e.g., bronze or lead), or similar device. The mix is sometimes dampened with alcohol or water during grinding to prevent accidental ignition.

Black powder is also corned to change its burn rate. Corning is a process which first compresses the fine black powder meal into blocks with a fixed density (1.7 g/cm3). The blocks are then broken up into granules. These granules are then sorted by size to give the various grades of black powder. Standard grades of black powder run from the coarse Fg grade used in large bore rifles and small cannon though FFg (medium and smallbore rifles), FFFg (pistols), and FFFFg (smallbore, short pistols and priming flintlocks). To reduce accidental ignition due to an electrostatic discharge, coarse black powder grains are sometimes coated with graphite dust, preventing charge build-up during handling. Very coarse black powder was used in mining before the development of nitroglycerine and dynamite.

Black powder is classified as a low explosive, that is, it deflagrates (burns) rapidly. High explosives detonate at a rate approximately 10 times faster than the burning of black powder.

Although black powder is not a high explosive, the United States Department of Transportation classifies it as a "Class A High Explosive" for shipment because it is so easily ignited. Highly destructive explosions at fireworks manufacturing plants are rather common events, especially in Asia. Complete manufactured devices containing black powder are usually classified as "Class C Firework", "Class C Model Rocket Engine", etc. for shipment because they are harder to ignite than the loose powder._

Smokeless Powder:
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced.

Types of smokeless powder include cordite, ballistite and, historically, Poudre B. They are classified as single-base, double-base or triple-base powders.

Smokeless powder created by Hudson Maxim, consists of nitrocellulose (single-base powders), frequently combined with up to 50 percent nitroglycerin (double-base powders), and sometimes nitroglycerin and nitroguanidine (triple-base), corned into small spherical balls or extruded into cylinders or flakes using solvents such as ether. Other minor ingredients, such as stabilizers and ballistic modifiers, are also added.

The reason that they are smokeless is that the combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to around 55% solid products for black powder (potassium carbonate, potassium sulfate etc).

Smokeless powder burns only on the surfaces of the granules, flakes or cylinders - described as granules for short. Larger granules burn more slowly, and the burn rate is further controlled by flame-deterrent coatings which retard burning slightly. The intent is to regulate the burn rate so that a more or less constant pressure is exerted on the propelled projectile as long as it is in the barrel so as to obtain the highest velocity. Cannon powder has the largest granules, up to thumb-sized cylinders with seven perforations (one central and the other six in a circle halfway to the outside of the cylinder's end faces). The perforations stabilize the burn rate because as the outside burns inward (thus shrinking the burning surface area) the inside is burning outward (thus increasing the burning surface area, but faster, so as to fill up the increasing volume of barrel presented by the departing projectile). Fast-burning pistol powders are made by extruding shapes with more area such as flakes or by flattening the spherical granules. Drying is usually performed under a vacuum. The solvents are condensed and recycled. The granules are also coated with graphite to prevent static electricity sparks from causing undesired ignitions.

Nitrocellulose deteriorates with time, yielding acidic byproducts. Those byproducts catalyze the further deterioration, increasing its rate. The released heat, in case of bulk storage of the powder, or too large blocks of solid propellant, can cause self-ignition of the material. Single-base nitrocellulose propellants are most susceptible to degradation, double-base and triple-base propellants tend to deteriorate slower. To neutralize the decomposition products, which could otherwise cause corrosion of metals of the cartridges and gun barrels, calcium carbonate is added to some formulations.

Stability/Stabilization

To prevent buildup of the deterioration products, stabilizers are added. 2-nitrodiphenylamine is one of the most common stabilizers used, with others being eg. 4-nitrodiphenylamine, N-nitrosodiphenylamine, N-methyl-p-nitroaniline, and diphenylamine. The stabilizers are added in the amount of 0.5-2% of the total amount of the formulation; higher amounts tend to degrade its ballistic properties. The amount of the stabilizer is depleted with time. Propellants in storage should be periodically tested on the remaining amount of stabilizer, as its depletion may lead to autoignition of the propellant.

Components

The propellant formulations may contain various energetic and auxiliary components:

* Propellants:
o Nitrocellulose, an energetic component of most smokeless propellants
o Nitroglycerin, an energetic component of double-base and triple-base formulations
o Nitroguanidine, a component of triple-base formulations
* Plasticizers, to make the grains less brittle
o Dibutyl phthalate
o Polyester adipate
* Binders, to hold the grain shape
o Rosin
o Ethyl acetate
* Stabilizers, to prevent or slow down self-decomposition
o Diphenylamine
o 2-nitrodiphenylamine
o 4-nitrodiphenylamine
o N-nitrosodiphenylamine
o N-methyl-p-nitroaniline
* Decoppering additives, to hinder the buildup of copper residues from the gun barrel rifling
o Tin metal and compounds, eg. tin dioxide
o Bismuth metal and compounds, eg. bismuth trioxide, bismuth subcarbonate, bismuth nitrate, bismuth antimonide; the bismuth compounds are favored as copper dissolves in molten bismuth, forming brittle and easily removable alloy
o Lead foil and lead compounds, phased out due to toxicity
* Flash reducers, to reduce the brightness of the muzzle flash
o Potassium nitrate
o Potassium sulfate (both have a disadvantage - production of smoke)
* Wear reduction additives, to lower the wear of the gun barrel liners
o Wax
o Talc
o Titanium dioxide
o Polyurethane jackets over the powder bags, in large guns
* Other additives
o Graphite, a lubricant to cover the grains and prevent them from sticking together, and to dissipate static electricity
o Calcium carbonate, to neutralize acidic decomposition products

The properties of the propellant are greatly influenced by the size and shape of its grains. The surface of the grains influences the speed of burning, and the shape influences the surface and its change during burning. By selection of the grain shape it is possible to influence the pressure vs time curve as the propellant burns.

Faster-burning propellants generate higher temperatures and higher pressures, however they also increase the wear of the gun barrels.

A Primex powder contains 0-40% nitroglycerin, 0-10% dibutyl phthalate, 0-10% polyester adipate, 0-5% rosin, 0-5% ethyl acetate, 0.3-1.5% diphenylamine, 0-1.5% N-nitrosodiphenylamine, 0-1.5% 2-nitrodiphenylamine, 0-1.5% potassium nitrate, 0-1.5% potassium sulfate, 0-1.5% tin dioxide, 0.02-1% graphite, 0-1% calcium carbonate, and nitrocellulose as the remainder to 100%.___________________

Lift Powder:
Lift powder is simply granulated black powder (also known as gunpowder). It consists of potassium nitrate, sulfur, carbon, and dextrin. Dextrin acts as a water soluble "glue" to hold the black powder together, so when it dries it will be rock hard. Lift powder gets its name because it is used for such things as launching shells out of mortars in pyrotechnics. Pyrotechnicians use this because it has a fast burn rate but not so fast as to cause the mortar to explode or cause other damage. Lift powder is good for this application because normal black powder cannot burn fast enough to push a mortar out of a shell fast enough, the shell would only go a few feet in the air. Lift powder does not burn so fast though, like flash powder, to explode a mortar.

Manufacture

This process is relatively simple.

* First take 100 grams of black powder and put it in a plastic ziploc bag.
* Second, take 10 grams of dextrin and mix that in also.
* Then, carefully pour a small amount of water. Mix well (always by hand, not a machine).

The mixture should become thick enough to stick together if squeezed between the fingers. If it is too dry, carefully add more water. Now, take an old spaghetti strainer and put all the wet lift powder into it and squeeze it out onto a paper plate. Let it dry in the sun for a day or two.

Once it is dry, some of the pieces may be a bit large. Just crumble those down. Overall the granules should be about the size of medium sized cookie crumbs, about 10-20 mesh.___________________________

Flash Powder:
Flash powder is a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel which burns quickly and if confined will produce a loud report. It is widely used in fireworks and theatrical pyrotechnics, and was once used for flashes in photography.

Different varieties of flash powder are made from different compositions; most common are potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Sometimes, sulfur is included in the mixture to increase the sensitivity.


Flash powders, specifically chlorate/perchlorate ones, are unique in that they produce no gas products (all solid products), which means that they are not explosives by scientific definition.

Production/Manufacture

Flash powder is a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel which burns quickly and if confined will produce a loud report. It is widely used in fireworks and theatrical pyrotechnics, and was once used for flashes in photography.

Different varieties of flash powder are made from different compositions; most common are potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Sometimes, sulfur is included in the mixture to increase the sensitivity.


Flash powders, specifically chlorate/perchlorate ones, are unique in that they produce no gas products (all solid products), which means that they are not explosives by scientific definition.

Aluminum powder and potassium chlorate is a bad choice for flash powder, for that reason it has been largely replaced by the potassium perchlorate mixture. Aluminum powder and potassium chlorate is preferred only if cost is important, because potassium chlorate is less expensive than potassium perchlorate.

KClO3 + 2Al --> Al2O3 + KCl

Aluminum powder and Potassium Perchlorate make up the only 2 components of a popular and simple type of flash powder. This compound is stable for a flash powder.

3 KClO4 + 8 Al → 4 Al2O3+ 3 KCl

3 KClO4 : 8 Al

3(138.55) : 8(26.98 )

415.65 : 215.84

Generally, 70% potassium and 30% aluminum mass mix of potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder works very well. The more finely powdered the materials, the faster the reaction, and the "sharper" the flash.

Another method for the production of flashpowder is to use a 3:2 ratio of Potassium Nitrate to Magnesium. .

3 parts Potassium Nitrate : 2 parts Magnesium

The finer ground (mesh) the magnesium is, the faster it will burn and the more smoke it will produce._________________________________


Trinitrotoluene(TNT):
Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive. Its empirical formula is C7H5N3O6.

The name for TNT is, in accordance with the nomenclature of the IUPAC, 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene. In this article the more common designation trinitrotoluene is used.

TNT was first synthesised by Joseph Wilbrand in 1863, and the first large-scale production began in Germany in 1891.

The explosive yield of TNT is considered the standard measure of strength of bombs and other explosives.

Characteristics

Trinitrotoluene takes the form of pale yellow, needle-shaped crystals and can be distilled in a vacuum. It is difficult to dissolve TNT in water; it is more soluble in ether, acetone, benzene and pyridine. With its low melting point of 80.35 °C, TNT can be melted in water vapour and poured into forms. TNT is poisonous and skin contact can cause allergic reactions, causing the skin to turn a bright yellow-orange color.

* Water solubility: 130 mg/L at 20 °C
* Steam pressure at 20 °C: 150 to 600 Pa

* Detonation speed: 6700-7000 m/s 6900 m/s (density: 1,6 g/cm³)
* Lead block test: 300 ml/10 g
* Sensitivity to impact: 15 N·m (1.5 kp·m)
* Friction sensitivity: to 353 N (36 kp) no reaction

Preparation/Production

The synthesis is done in a stepwise procedure. First, toluene is nitrated with a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid. Even lower-concentration acid mixtures are capable of doing the first and second introduction of a nitrogroup. The nitrogroups decrease the reactivity of the toluene drastically because they are electron-withdrawing groups. After separation, the mono- and dinitrotoluene is fully nitrated with a mixture of nitric acid and oleum (sulfuric acid with up to 60% dissolved SO3). This mixture is far more reactive and is capable of introducing the last nitrogroup. The waste acid from this process is used for the first step of the reaction in industrial synthesis._______________________________________________


Nitrogen Tri-Iodide(NI3/Touch Explosives):

This is a very unstable compound, do not attempt to make. It will detonate under its own weight.

Nitrogen triiodide, also called nitrogen iodide, is the chemical compound with the formula NI3. It is a sensitive contact explosive: small quantities explode with a gunpowder-like snap when touched even lightly, releasing a cloud of iodine vapor. NI3 has a complex structural chemistry that has required relatively heroic efforts to elucidate because of the instability of the derivatives.

The decomposition of NI3 proceeds via the following reaction:

2NI3(s) → N2(g) + 3I2(g) ΔH = -290 kJ/mol

Nitrogen triiodide is a dark red compound, first characterized by X-ray crystallography in 1990, when it was prepared by an ammonia-free route. Boron nitride reacts with iodine fluoride in trichlorofluoromethane at -30 °C to produce pure NI3 in low yield.[1] NI3 is pyramidal (C3v symmetry), as are the other nitrogen trihalides as well as ammonia.[2]

The material that is usually called "nitrogen triiodide" is prepared by the reaction of iodine with ammonia. When this reaction is conducted at low temperatures in anhydrous ammonia, the initial product is NI3·(NH3)5, but this material loses some ammonia upon warming to give the 1:1 adduct NI3·(NH3). This adduct was first reported by Bernard Courtois in 1812, and its formula was finally determined in 1905 by Silberrad.[3] Its solid state structure consists of chains of -NI2-I-NI2-I-NI2-I-... Ammonia molecules are situated between the chains. In the dark and kept cold and damp with ammonia, NI3·(NH3) is stable. The dry material is, however a contact explosive decomposing according to the following equation:[2]

8NI3NH3 → 5 N2 + 6 NH4I + 9 I2

The instability of NI3 itself or NI3NH3 can be attributed to the great strength of N2. Nitrogen trichloride and nitrogen tribromide are also unstable.________________________________________________


OK, safety stuff now!

DO NOT CONTACT:

Alkali metals, such as calcium, potassium and sodium with water, carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Acetic Acid with chromic acid, nitric acid, hydroxyl-containing compounds, ethylene glycol, perchloric acid, peroxides and permanganates.

Acetone with concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid mixtures.

Ammonia, Anhydrous with mercury, halogens, calcium hypochlorite or hydrogen fluoride.

Ammonium Nitrate with acids, metal powders, flammable fluids, chlorates, nitrates, sulfur and finely divided organics or other combustibles.

Aniline with nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide or other strong oxidizing agents.

Bromine with ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, hydrogen, sodium carbide, turpentine or finely divided metals.

Chlorates with ammonium salts, acids, metal powders, sulfur, carbon, finely divided organics or other combustibles.

Chromic Acid with acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, alcohol, glycerin, turpentine and other flammable liquids.

Chlorine with ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, benzene and other petroleum fractions, hydrogen, sodium carbides, turpentine and finely divided powdered metals.

Cyanides with acids.

Hydrogen Peroxide with copper, chromium, iron, most metals or their respective salts, flammable fluids and other combustible materials, aniline and nitromethane.

Hydrogen Sulfide with nitric acid, oxidizing gases.

Hydrocarbons, generally, with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic acid or sodium peroxide.

Iodine with acetylene or ammonia

Mercury with acetylene, fulminic acid, hydrogen.

Nitric acid with acetic, chromic and hydrocyanic acids, aniline, carbon, hydrogen sulfide, flammable fluids or gases and substances which are readily nitrated.

Oxygen with oils, grease, hydrogen, flammable liquids, solids and gases.

Oxalic Acid with silver or mercury.

Perchloric Acid with acetic anhydride, bismuth and its alloys, alcohol, paper, wood and other organic materials.

Phosphorous Pentoxide with water

Sodium Peroxide with any oxidizable substances, for instance: methanol, glacial acetic acid, acetic anhydride, benzaldehyde, carbon disulfide, glycerin, ethylene glycol, ethyl acetate, furfural, etc.

Sulfuric Acid with chlorates, perchlorates, permanganates and water.

More to be added when I get the time or feel like it!