Flash Powder (Goldshmidt)

Method

Screen fine aluminium powder and Copper (II) oxide together, and that's it! If you add the optional flitter large white sparks will be produced when the mixture is ignited.

Notes

1. Although I have seen no evidence of this myself, I have heard that CuO/Al mixtures can be shock and friction sensitive, so don't ram it or be too rough with it. There is no need to grind the mixture, this will not produce any significant increase in reaction rate

2. My memory is a little foggy here but I believe that I achieved a similar result using courser aluminum like 350mesh, where the only difference is that the composition is harder to light.

3. Like other thermites, this composition requires a bit of heat to get started, although much less than the standard Iron oxide (red) thermite. The composition cannot be ignited with fuse alone so a prime such as meal powder is required.

Summary

The flash is not as bright as the other flash powders but the reaction rate is very similar. As such it works perfectly for reports and boost in aerial shells.