Brightest burning common material

[jutntog1]

Im familiar with magnesum burning very bright, and i can obtain that at a local chemical sellign store, but im wondering what other materials that i have access to (not being in a university etc not even being 18) burn extreamily bright, as bright or brighter then magnesum.

[Silencer]

You can always just create a star with a little nuclear fusion.

[DQW]

Phosphorus - though I think that's restricted, and hence hard to get.

[YT2095]

pure aluminium will, the key is the purity though, the foil inside electrolytic capacitors is ideal, although only one of the 2 plates will demonstrate this when heated.

[BenSon]

The sun

 

~Scott

[budullewraagh]

white phosphorus. not red so much, and definitely not black, but white.

 

also as yt said, aluminum

[jdurg]

Zirconium metal burns VERY brightly when ignited. Moreso than Magnesium I believe.

[jutntog1]

thanks a lot/

[jutntog1]

pure aluminium will, the key is the purity though, the foil inside electrolytic capacitors is ideal, although only one of the 2 plates will demonstrate this when heated.

 

 

how will i know what plate?

[YT2095]

cut a slice off both foil strips, and put a flame under them, the one that gets very bright is the one that I`m speaking of

[EL]

Im familiar with magnesum burning very bright, and i can obtain that at a local chemical sellign store, but im wondering what other materials that i have access to (not being in a university etc not even being 18) burn extreamily bright, as bright or brighter then magnesum.

 

Well, theoretically speaking, pure lamp-carbon-soot has the highest combustion temperature (over 4000 degrees C). Edison tried his first filaments out of thin graphite "wires". Tungsten proved to be superior though, for its metallic properties, even though it melts at lower temperatures than carbon. If you are looking for the metal of brightest combustion temperature, brightness, etc then it is carbon as in carbon arcs. Carbon arcs were used long ago in movie theatres before modern high intensity light projector filaments were technically available, and fire accidents were also quite common.

As for aluminium, although inferior to carbon, it was used in the old days in the form of aluminium-wool, ignited by an electric current in sealed cubes full of oxygen as a camera flash, which makes it rather a handy source for intensive brightness for a very short period of time.

Since you are under 18 Y.O., I advise you to be very careful with your hobby and use a handy material to ignite in air by passing a car-battery current into it as a short circuit to vaporize the pure interior that readily oxidizes in air's oxygen. This makes Aluminium wool or foil your best choice because aluminium oxide is less toxic than any other thinkable alternative within this context. Carbon arcs produce carbon dioxide, which is a natural gas found in air and in human exhale, hence normally safe. The shape of the metal is also very critical because using sharp pointing contacts will maximize the effect and very thin wires are better than thick wires.

Good luck.

[weldermanx]

yo u know if you can get your hands on that magnesium powder it and adda few drops of silver nitrate in water it will spontainiously ignite... its hwat they use in flashbang (stun) grenades

[H2SO4]

if you want something that is extremely bright make an aluminum torch (flare). Look up the flare compositions here: http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/compoDB.html

 

 

 

Be careful, many of the flare comps are powerful and are sensitive to being grinded. Pregrind the chemicals then mix them. PRESS them into a tub, DO NOT ram them in.

 

 

These are much brighter than probaly anything mentioned above.

[weldermanx]

i doubt the aluminum torch is brighter than a magnesium flash, i did this in my lab and flash burnt my shadow onto the wall.... id advise not use anything as unstable as the aluminum torch as stated above as well as any of the alkali metals thats just plain stupid. stick with magnesium and other Alk Earth metals or your gonna get hurt by the flame or the fumes

[weldermanx]

would never play with phosphorus its much too unstable btu still fun. however if you still play with it and you know what your are doing be aware the lethal dose is like in micrograms

[YT2095]

yo u know if you can get your hands on that magnesium powder it and adda few drops of silver nitrate in water it will spontainiously ignite... its hwat they use in flashbang (stun) grenades

 

no it isn`t!

 

i doubt the aluminum torch is brighter than a magnesium flash, i did this in my lab and flash burnt my shadow onto the wall....

 

we`ll you`re wrong, and the last part is clearly Bullsh!t too, don`t post any more lies here.

[EL]

if you want something that is extremely bright make an aluminum torch (flare). Look up the flare compositions here: [url']http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/compoDB.html[/url]

That was a very good link, and he should look for flash recipes.

 

As I said above, aluminium would be the practical metal of choice.

 

These are much brighter than probaly anything mentioned above.

 

Don't push your luck.

[YT2095]

in addition the OP stated Common, I don`t know of many people that have access to Mg metal, and by the same token, I don`t anyone that doesn`t have access to Alu

[Thomas Kirby]

White phosphorus burns when embedded in flesh. It actually consumes oxygen from the body tissues. Definitely stick with small quantities, wear eye protection (I prefer body armor) get parental permission, and have a responsible and sober adult nearby.

 

Bright lights are dangerous, too. Some of these preparations can damage the eyes. Some of them emit enough ultraviolet radiation to damage the skin and eyes.

 

Just a little safety hint. There is rarely anything that a person does, experimenting in the lab, that is worth causing preventable damage to any tissues of the body, even if that damage is minor. At the very least, it's a lot more enjoyable to not have to go back to the house with tiny electrical, chemical, and radiation burns all over.

 

Another note: Any chemical combination that can produce large quantities of light also produces a lot of heat, toxic gases, and may also be able to explode, even when not confined. They can also suddenly flare up and burn you.

[EL]

in addition the OP stated Common, I don`t know of many people that have access to Mg metal, and by the same token, I don`t anyone that doesn`t have access to Alu

 

You are absolutely correct.

Have you ever tried mixing aluminium powder with red lead oxide (used for painting wood to protect from insects) and then ignite it?

 

If you did not try it, do not try it, it is explosive; or be very very cautious.

[YT2095]

I`ve seen it as a finished product yeah, often called "Dragon eggs" it can be done with Antimony and Bismuth oxides equaly well, it`s used to produce the Crackling effect in fireworks (I think the lead version is banned now).

exotic thermits can be lethal! even simple Copper Thermit is extremely nasty.

[EL]

I totally agree, and I really do not encourage teenagers to fiddle with explosives, even the cautious genius ones.

In fact, even fire-crackers are not that safe as advertised and they cause many accidental injuries.

One should be careful when posting information that could be misused.

I learnt my lesson.

[H2SO4]

i doubt the aluminum torch is brighter than a magnesium flash, i did this in my lab and flash burnt my shadow onto the wall.... id advise not use anything as unstable as the aluminum torch as stated above as well as any of the alkali metals thats just plain stupid. stick with magnesium and other Alk Earth metals or your gonna get hurt by the flame or the fumes

 

 

Im talking about a composition that can burn steadily, and slowly, not flash. Anyway, like yt said, stop posting reply's if there lies (that rymes).

[H2SO4]

That was a very good link, and he should look for flash recipes.

 

The flash recipe's listed there are not desingned to produce light, but to produce powerful bangs even when unconfined. They are also called flash powder and are friction sensitive. They are called flash powder becuase they react so fast. They do produce a flash of light, but are way to dangerous. Flash is used in devices such as M80's and i believe it teeters on being a high explosive. This depends on they mix you choose though.

[EL]

Thanks to YT2095 for deleting my Dragon Eggs before it was too late.

I was that close from being banned for my ignorance of the rules.

However, recognising what the OP wanted, I posted the best "True Flash" procedure, which was composed of Aluminium wool being oxidised in air and triggered by an electric current, just like the good old days flash-cubes for cameras. If plenty of Oxygen was trapped with the wool inside a test-tube, with the electric electrodes passing through a cork, the aluminium will consume the oxygen forming the oxide without any explosion in the absence of other air gasses that may expand. This is the safest flash source that one could ever dream.