Comparison Between Explosions And Coloured Flames

Nowadays special effects are used to enhance reality in a way to depict a more imaginative world or lifestyle. Explosions are seen in different forms in movies to either depict a car engine steaming and then exploding to a house instantly exploding. The chemistry concept found within explosions are reactions such as decomposition, thermal decomposition and the combustion reaction. Coloured flames are seen in movies to represent something magical that is occurring such as a ritual. This is due to the vibrant colours used which communicate a sense of unusual yet visual appearance. chemistry concepts found in coloured flames are combustion reaction, electrons and atomic structures, molecules and particles.
The following will pinpoint two special effects which are explosions and coloured flames and define the chemistry concepts found within each special effect. Furthermore, this article also aims to build a comparison between the two topics as well as distinct differences.
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This means that both special effects need a fuel that acts as a base for the reaction. This includes materials such as wood, oil, natural gases, gunpowder and trinitrotoluene (TNT). Although for the combustion reaction to take place there has to be an oxidiser, this usually is Oxygen (O2). An oxidiser is a chemical substance that adds Oxygen to complete a reaction (Daily, 2015). The oxidiser is usually found in the surrounding air, this also concludes to the fact that if you add Oxygen by fanning a flame it will become brighter. Overall meaning that since both explosions and coloured flames undergo a combustion reaction both must release exothermic energy or heat. Explosions are also unstable compounds therefore a right amount of oxidisation has to be measured