Science, Tech, Math › Science How To Make Green Flames Green Flames Using Copper Sulfate Share Flipboard Email Print These green flames are produced by the emission of excited copper ions when copper sulfate is added to burning alcohol. Anne Helmenstine Science Chemistry Projects & Experiments Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Periodic Table Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Facebook Twitter Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on November 21, 2020 It's easy to create green flames using copper sulfate, which you can find in common household products. Green Flames Materials copper sulfatealcohol or alcohol-base fuel Copper sulfate is found as the main ingredient in certain stump removal and algae control products. Be sure copper sulfate is listed on the product label. Other copper salts also produce green or blue flames, but not all are as safe. The project is easiest using granular or powdered copper sulfate, although you can use a liquid product. To use a liquid, you can either soak paper or wood and allow it to dry before burning it or you can pour the liquid into a shallow dish, allow it to evaporate and collect the solid for use in projects. A Note about Fuel I recommend using alcohol or an alcohol-based fuel because alcohol burns with a blue flame, so you'll get a bright green color from the copper. However, you will get green flames if you simply sprinkle copper sulfate on a wood fire or if you use a different fuel, except other chemicals in the fuel may add yellow, orange and red to the flame. Make Green Flames Simply sprinkle copper sulfate onto the fuel, light it and enjoy the green flames! The copper is not consumed by the fire so if you are burning a clean fuel you can reuse the copper sulfate again and again. Here's a YouTube video of copper sulfate green fire, showing you this project in action. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How To Make Green Flames." ThoughtCo, Sep. 7, 2021, thoughtco.com/how-to-make-green-flames-606190. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, September 7). How To Make Green Flames. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-green-flames-606190 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How To Make Green Flames." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-green-flames-606190 (accessed June 9, 2023). copy citation