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Review of: Pyrotechnic Chemistry by
John R. Steinberg, M. D. [Originally appeared in "Journal of Pyrotechnics", No. 21, Summer, 2005. ] Former president of Pyrotechnics Guild International

This is a collaborative work by many authors, resulting in many distinct writing styles between the various chapters; nevertheless the book provides a superb overview of the chemistry of pyrotechnics and various tangentially related topics. Given the stellar curricula vitae of the contributors, it is no surprise that this work is both technically excellent and extremely interesting to anyone with any degree of curiosity regarding pyrotechnic chemistry. While the preface discloses that this text is written at "an introductory to intermediate level" the more extensive one's background in the field, the greater the appreciation for the material will be. It is, indeed, as promised, accessible to both novices and appreciated by fairly advanced students of this subject. The book consists of nineteen chapters and is extensively, if not exhaustively referenced, providing a guide to further source material for those readers desirous of more advanced treatments of the various topics discussed in each chapter.

The first chapter, an Introduction, by David Dillehay, provides a brief history of both pyrotechnics and other energetic materials. It offers both background information and definitions.

The eminent Takeo Shimizu wrote the second chapter, which discusses the Chemical Components of fireworks. More than simply a list, Shimizu provides a practically focused "chemical handbook" of the compounds' chemical and physical properties, the history of their use and the applications for each, as well as a brief introduction to the types of chemical reactions in which these materials are used.

Barry Sturman, in Chapter Three, provides an Introduction to Chemical Thermodynamics. This chapter is, of necessity, more technical, though the author successfully avoids making the material so abstruse as to be useful to only the expert.

Ken and Bonnie Kosanke contribute the Fourth Chapter on Pyrotechnic Ignition and Propagation and Chapter Five on Control of Pyrotechnic Burn Rate. The fourth chapter is a very interesting treatment of a topic more often assumed to be understood than actually understood. The fifth chapter provides a very practical approach to pyrotechnic problem solving and explains why compositions behave in the manner that they do.

Ian von Maltitz contributes Chapter Six on Black Powder. No discussion of pyrotechnic chemistry could be considered complete without addressing, in detail, this most seminal pyrotechnic composition.

Chapter Seven, by the Kosankes, discusses Pyrotechnic Primes and Priming. Many an excellent star has been "blown blind" for failure to provide an adequate prime.

Mike Wilson and Ron Hancox contributed Chapter Eight on Pyrotechnic Delays and Thermal Sources. This technical material may be of less direct use to most pyrotechnists, but, the discussion of this topic is both well written and serves to expand the reader's knowledge of this subject.

The Chemistry of Colored Flames, Chapter Nine, is written by the Kosankes. This critically useful material begins with a brief discussion of the physics of visible light and proceeds to apply this basic material to a very detailed and cogent discussion of the basics of producing pyrotechnic colored flames. a most useful chapter and greatly enhances the value of this textbook.

Chapter Ten on Illuminants, by Dillehay, naturally follows. Again, this material is of less direct application for many pyrotechnists, but nevertheless provides a useful treatment of the subject of pyrotechnic flashes, flares, and illuminants, often used to good effect in displays.

Propellant Chemistry by Naminosuke Kubota is the subject of Chapter Eleven. Composite propellants and Black Powder propellants are discussed. Combustion kinetics and chemistry are then reviewed.

Kubota's Chapter Twelve, Principles of Solid Rocket Motor Design, is, in and of itself, practically a monograph on this subject. This chapter can be read at either of two levels: the reader conversant with physics will be provided sufficiently detailed technical information to apply the material provided to designs of independently conceived rocket motor systems, while the amateur will still be able to read the chapter to gain an understanding of exactly how rocket motors are designed and how they function.

Chapter Thirteen, by the Kosankes and by Clive Jennings-White, on Pyrotechnic Spark Generation provides an articulate discussion of a topic as important as colored flames.

Strobe Chemistry is the subject of Chapter Fifteen, also by Jennings-White. Again, this is an easy effect to compound and to produce and a rather difficult topic to understand in detail.

Whistle Devices provide the topic for discussion in Chapter Sixteen, by Mike Podlesak and Mike Wilson. Whistle combustion chemistry is reviewed in a manner at once extremely technical and fascinating to almost any reader.

From a safety perspective, there is, perhaps no more vital topic than that discussed by Dave Chapman in Chapter Seventeen: the Sensitiveness of Pyrotechnic Compositions. Tests for sensitivity and a discussion of the different nature of friction, impact, and temperature sensitivity are discussed.

Clive Jennings-White and Ken Kosanke review Hazardous Chemical Combinations in Chapter Eighteen. The authors provide a detailed discussion of dangerous chemical combinations, discussions of the hazards produced, and a basic chemical rationale for why these particular compositions are so hazardous.

Tom Smith's concluding Chapter Nineteen, on Assessing the Risks, provides a safety-oriented and practical approach to those contemplating working with pyrotechnic compositions and devices.

Overall, this is a most satisfactory endeavor. The Pyrotechnic Chemistry textbook offered by these authors through the Journal of Pyrotechnics is at once useful and fascinating. Its various topics differ in degree of complexity and will appeal to a wide range of readers. While no single textbook can completely cover this broad range of associated and collected topics, this reviewer feels that the Pyrotechnic Chemistry book is an excellent basic and reference text (thanks to its exhaustive bibliography) and is worthy of inclusion in any reader's pyrotechnic library. I enthusiastically recommend this book and offer my congratulations to its contributing authors and editors on a job well done.