Expert: George Maxwell - 9/16/2007

Question
I am trying to make colored fire for Halloween.  Last year I just soaked logs in aqueous copper chloride and that worked great, but this year were trying to make green flames using tiki torches.  I tried to dissolve the copper chloride in 70% isopropyl but its not working very well. I didn't heat the solution because I don't have a hot plate at home, do you think it will dissolve if i heat it, or is there another fuel that might work?  I tried tiki oil but that doesn't work.

Answer
Hi, thank you for your question, and I'm really sorry for the delay in answering.

In the past, I've used either pure ethanol or methylated spirits with success in this type of experiment. I wouldn't advise heating a) because it won't increase the solubility that much and b) because of the risks involved in creating lots of flammable vapor. Ethanol will work better than isopropyl alcohol in dissoving ionic compounds like chlorides.

Hope this helps, and my apologies again for the delay.