Chemistry holds the secrets to the color of a fireworks burst. The colors that you see in the sky are determined by metallic compounds that are deliberately added in very small amounts to the stars when they are manufactured.
As the stars burn, the metal atoms absorb energy, become excited and emit a specific color of light.
| Color | Metals |
| Red | strontium, lithium |
| Orange | calcium |
| Yellow | sodium, cadmium |
| White | magnesium, aluminum |
| Green | barium |
| Blue | copper, cobalt |
| Purple | strontium and copper, manganese |
| Silver | titanium, magnesium, aluminum |