How to Make Campfires Burn in Different Colors

Make your camp fire into a science experiment.

Putting certain chemicals on a camp fire will make the flame change colors. Rather than an orange-red flame, your fire can burn in blue, yellow or purple. Chemicals that turn a flame another color are found in ordinary household and gardening products, or they can be ordered from a science laboratory. Putting chemicals on a fire is a hands-on science experiment for kids that teaches them about chemical reactions with fire.

Things You'll Need

• Table salt
• Rubber gloves
• Large bucket
• 2 gallons of water
• Pinecones, wood chips or lumber scrapings

Instructions

1. Put 2 gallons of water in a bucket.

2. Choose the chemical that you want to use based on its availability and what color you want the flames to burn. The flame will turn yellow with ordinary table salt, which is sodium chloride. The flame will turn purple with potassium chloride, which can be found in no-sodium salt substitutes. The flame will turn green with copper sulfate, which is found in root-killing products. The flame will turn blue with copper chloride, which can be purchased from a science lab.

3. Put on rubber gloves before handling any chemicals. Pour 1/2 pound of one chemical into the bucket of water.

4. Place pinecones or wood chips into the water and chemical mixture inside the bucket and let soak overnight.

5. Remove the pinecones or wood chips from the bucket and let them dry. Place them in a burning camp fire and enjoy the colored flames.

References

• Walter Reeves: How to Make Colored Flames for Fireplace