Hi,

Me and a friend need to build a rocket for a chemistry. If anyone out there knows 4 or 5 good chemical reactions to get our rockets flying, PLEASE do so!!!
Thanks beforhand,

Kasper

gun powder

half sugar half KNO3, carmalize the sugar and stir in the saltpeter.

thanks but i need some more potent stuff. Gunpowder gives about 60% sodid residue and therefor isn't very effective. We might use the other mixture but we'll use NH4-NO3 (amonium-nitrate) �nstead for that's more explosive...

you can get 3 rocket engines for about 5 bucks at your local hobby shop. (Buy some E's "if you can" note: illegal in 48.87 states (to two significant figures))

Chemistry my ass...

You appear to know so little of the subject that I think you are asking the wrong questions. More explosive? You don't want the proppellant in your engine to explode if you plan on getting any useable thrust. I think the proper knowledge for you to seek out is how a rocket engine actually works. Chemistry? Since when do chemistry classes teach principles of flight? I agree with goatboy, you're a liar.

LOL, i agree that explosive is not exactly what i meant. What i did mean was that the reaction from black powder gives a lot of solid residu (either 40 or 60%, not sure forgot). If i want a rocket to fly i'll need as much air and as little solid residu from my reactions. Part of something being explosive is its capability to react forming a lot of air and another is that it produces a shockwave through the explosive that exalerates the explosion itself.
About the me being a liar. It's partly true, i do have to do it for school but its not yet totally sure wether it's going to be a chemistry or a physics project. That in the end depends wether we'll get deeper into the reactions or into the forces having to do with it. But well, who cares to know anyway...
Well, anyway the things that we're going to test have been chosen, so unless someone comes up with a very good propellant we'll stick to what we got...
Thanks...

I made a rocket for my physics class once but we just used those Estes engines, so I wouldn't be of much help.

Uh ok, whatever. Since when do pyrotechnic components burn to form air? Again you don't want a shockwave in your engine or an explosion. There have been a few engines that do use explosives as fuel, but they were external combustion engines designed to trap the upward blast of an explosion. I doubt you'll do that however.

"Part of something being explosive is its capability to react forming a lot of air and another is that it produces a shockwave through the explosive that exalerates the explosion itself"

What? What makes something an explosive is it's ability to go from a cool solid to a mixture of high energy gases almost instantaneously. That itself produces shockwaves and nothing else. You see the surrounding fluids are greatly compressed then decompress. When the decompress the compress the fluids surrounding them and so on. Until the force is dissipated. This is why shockwaves are more noted in water, water doesn't significantly compress so the shockwave is carried much further. Also the reason why oceanic waves travel so far.

I suggest going to a library and looking amatuer rocketry or contact Tripoli or NAR.
I've heard of a very good propellant using Zn and S compressed with hydraulic or screw driven press. Also a rubberized fuel made of ammonium nitrate, pvc, and a plasticizer.
Very little residue is left, but HCl gas is given off.

Hey "The Real" How would you make one of those big rocket motors out of pvc? What process do you use? I know its ammonium nitrate and something. They say use rubber and hardner or something. Can you help me out, have you ever made them? Thanks, charliE

I've seen recipes using ammonium nitrate and asphaltum, and manyother rubbers. www.pyrotek.org is a good website and sells books on composite motors. I've played with blackpowder motors, Zn S, sugar and KNO3, but nothing very big time. All were pretty unreliable except the Zn S motors, but I had the free use of a hydraulic press at the time which is nearly a necessity.

use pyrodex