Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics, Vol.30, No.1, 63-66, 2005
Reassessment of the identity of the blue light emitter in copper-containing pyrotechnic flames - Is it really CuCl?
While it is commonly thought that the molecular species responsible for the emission of blue light in fireworks flames is CuCl, a review of the physicochemical data obtained on gaseous CuCl vapors indicates that the actual emitter is the trimer Cu3Cl3. The literature is reviewed with regard to this issue, and a few experiments which might resolve the question are proposed.