Chemistry Project

Academic Year 2022-23

How To Prepare a Smoke Bomb

Name: Sudhanshu Singh

Class: XII-A

Board Roll No.:

Batch: 2022-23

Guide: Mrs. Prathana Chatterjee

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 Acknowledgement

I would like to express my special

thanks of gratitude to my Chemistry
teacher, Ms. Prathana Chatterjee and
our principal Ms. Urmimala Sudhakar
who gave me the golden opportunity to
do this project on the topic “How To
Prepare a Smoke Bomb”. It helped me
in doing a lot of Research and i came to
know about a lot of things related to
this topic.

Finally, I would also like to thank my

parents and friends who helped me a
lot in finalizing this project within the
limited time frame.

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 Certificate

It is certified that Sudhanshu Singh of

class XII-A has completed this project
under the guidance and supervision of Ms.
Prathana Chatterjee with great diligence.
The project for the subject of Chemistry
titled How To Prepare a Smoke Bomb is
up to the standards of the Central Board of
Secondary Education and can be sent for
evaluation. In the Academic Year
2022-23

Teacher’s Signature

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 Content

o Aim of the project

o Introduction
o Theory
o Material Required
o Procedure
o Working
o Coloured Smoke
o Chemical Equations
o Conclusion
o Bibliography

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 Aim
To study the preparation of smoke
bomb

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 Introduction
A smoke bomb is a special kind of a
firework that produces a jet of smoke
on being ignited. Made using
potassium chlorate and sodium
bicarbonate, the smoke bombs have
small holes through which the smoke
and heat comes out for 10-15 minutes
at a stretch. Baking soda and sugar are
also added to moderate the reaction.
And, organic colorants in white, red,
pink, blue, and other colors are added
to make the smoke bomb colorful.
Smoke candle, smoke canister, and
smoke balls are some of the variants of
smoke bombs.

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 Theory
A smoke bomb is a firework designed
to produce smoke upon ignition.
Smoke bombs are useful to military
units, self-defense and pranks. The
smoke bomb was first created in 1848,
by the inventor Robert Yale. Colored
smoke devices use a formula that
consists of an oxidizer (typically
potassium chlorate, KClO3), a fuel
(generally sugar), a moderate (such as
sodium bicarbonate) to keep the
reaction from getting too hot, and a
powdered organic dye for color. The
burning of this mixture evaporates the
dye and forces it out of the device,
where it condenses in the atmosphere
to form a "smoke" of finely dispersed
particles.

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Home-made smoke bombs are usually
created in two ways:

1. The first way involves cutting up

celluloid material (ping pong balls)-
placing the small pieces inside an
aluminium wrapping and igniting
them. This practice is widely
recognised to be a health hazard.

2. Mixing the chemicals potassium

nitrate and sugar while lightly
heating the mixture until it comes
to a peanut butter-like consistency
can also provide fuel for smoke
bombs

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 Material Required
Sugar

Potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known

as saltpeter

Skillet or pan

aluminum foil

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Fuse for easy ignition (from fireworks)

Cotton and tape

Burner

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 Procedure
 Pour about 3 parts potassium nitrate
to 2 parts sugar into the skillet (5:3
ratio is also good). Measurements
don’t need to be exact, but you want
more KNO3 than sugar. For example,
you can use 1-1/2 cups KNO3 and 1 cup
sugar. If you use equal amounts of
KNO3 and sugar, your smoke bomb
will be harder to light and will burn
more slowly. As you approach the 5:3
KNO3: sugar ratio, you get a smoke
bomb that burns more quickly.
 Apply low heat to the pan. Stir the
mixture with a spoon using long
strokes. If you see the grains of sugar
starting to melt along the edges where
you are stirring, remove the pan from
the heat and reduce the temperature
before continuing.
 Basically you are caramelizing sugar.
The mixture will melt and become a
caramel or chocolate color. Continue
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 heating/stirring until the ingredients
are liquefied. Remove from heat.
 Pour the liquid onto a piece of foil or
into the cardboard roll. You can pour a
smaller amount onto a separate piece,
to test the batch. You can pour the
smoke bomb into any shape, onto an
object, or into a mold. The shape and
size will affect the burning pattern.
 If you aren’t going to clean your skillet
immediately, pour hot water into the
pan to dissolve the sugar (or else it will
be harder to clean). Clean up any
residue you may have spilled out of the
pan, unless you want mini-smoke
bombs on your stovetop.
 While the mix is still hot, push a pen
lightly down the mold and don’t
remove it. Allow the smoke bomb to
cool. (about an hour) Now, remove the
pen and insert the fuse.
 Secure the fuse with cotton

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 Working
Colored smoke bombs use a mixture of an
oxidizer, a fuel, a moderant to keep the
reaction from getting too hot, and a
powdered organic dye. When the mixture
is burned, the dye evaporates and is forced
out of the device, where it condenses in
the atmosphere to form a cloud of fine
particles, the smoke.

Other smoke bomb compositions produce

different products, but the principle is the
same: a solid is produced and dispersed
into the air, creating a smoke that scatters
and blocks light.

The sugar will be oxidized to carbon

dioxide and water. The nitrogen in the
potassium nitrate will be reduced to
nitrogen gas. The potassium will end up as
potassium carbonate (the carbon coming
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from the CO2 from the sugar). Small
amounts of other products will be formed,
of course, but these are the only important
ones.

Coloured Smoke
The classic smoke bomb is a great project
for the home or lab, producing lots of safe
smoke, with purple flames. If you get dye
and consider the shape of your creation,
you can make a smoke bomb that billows
clouds of brightly colored smoke. Adult
supervision is required.

Colored Smoke Bomb Materials

 60 g (3 tablespoons) potassium nitrate

(sold as saltpeter in garden supply
shops)
 40 g (2 tablespoons) sugar

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  1 teaspoon baking soda
 60 g (3 tablespoons) powdered organic
dye (such as synthetic indigo or an
aniline-based dye, found in some craft
& hobby shops; not common water-
based dye)
 Cardboard tube
 Duct tape
 Pen or pencil
 Firework fuse (hardware, rocketry,
construction, or hobby shops, or
scavenge it from a firework)
 Cotton balls
 Saucepan

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 Chemical Equations
48 KNO3 + 5 C12H22O11 → 24K2CO3 +
24N2 + 36CO2 + 55H2O

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 Uses
 Smoke bombs are useful to airsoft
games, paintball games, self-defence
and practical jokes
 Smoke bombs are primarily used in
military warfare as smoke screens.
 Smoke screens are usually used by
infantry to conceal their movement in
areas of exposure to enemy fire and to
conceal a withdrawal.
 The use of smoke screens was
common in the naval battles of World
War I & II.
 Smoke grenades are canister-type
grenades used as ground-to-ground or
ground to air signalling devices, target
or landing zone marking devices, or as
screening devices for unit movements.

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 Conclusion
With the failure of the bomb, doesn't
mean it is a failure of the entire
experiment or study. The hypothesis that
the bomb will not work, is not supported
by the data. With the analysis as well, the
amount in each bomb may have been to
much for the snappers to make a
successful explosion.
This brings up many new designs and
material measurements that can bring this
bomb to a success. Not working for this
one experiment is not a road block, but if
anything is a stepping stone to a newer
better design for the smoke bomb. There
is never real failure in science, just a
round about back to the drawing board.

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 Bibliography

 https://issuu.com/
 https://thechemistryguru.com/
 https://www.slideshare.net/
 https://www.wikihow.com/
 Wikipedia
 Chemistry practical file

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