The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

CHAPTER III
PYROTECHNICS
The early history of pyrotechnics and the early history of black
powder are the same narrative. Incendiary compositions containing
saltpeter, and generally sulfur, mixed with combustible
materials were used both for amusement and for purposes of war*
They developed on the one hand into black powder, first used in
crackers for making a noise and later in guns for throwing &
projectile, and on the other into pyrotechnic devices. The available
evidence indicates that fireworks probably developed first in
the Far East, possibly in India earlier than in China, and that
they were based upon various compositions of potassium nitrate^
sulfur, and charcoal, with the addition of iron filings, coarse charcoal,
and realgar (As2S2) to produce different visual effects. The
nature of the composition and the state of subdivision of its ingredients
, determine the rate of burning and the appearance of
the flame. In Chinese fire, coarse particles of hard-wood charcoal
produce soft and lasting sparks; filings of cast iron produce
bright and scintillating ones. The original Bengal lights were
probably made more brilliant by the addition of realgar.
The manufacture of pyrotechnics from the Renaissance onward
has been conducted, and still is practiced in certain places, as a
household art or familiar craft. The artificer 1 needs patience and
skill and ingenuity for his work. For large-scale factory production,
the pyrotechnist has few problems in chemical engineering
but many in the control of craftsmanship. His work, like that of
the wood-carver or bookbinder, requires manual dexterity but
transcends artistry and becomes art by.the free play of the imagination
for the production of beauty. He knows the kinds of
effects, audible and visible, which he can get from his materials.
He knows this as the graphic artist knows the appearance of his
1 In the French language the word artificier means fireworks maker, and
artifice means a pyrotechnic device.
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