[redzoneos]

I noticed online, and even in a thread on this site that it could be possible to make wick candles, fire logs, etc with copper chloride and other chemicals...

is there some way to do this with a zippo lighter wick?  what would be the risks?... what i mean is, obviously it's a lighter, and while i no longer smoke, if I use the lighter it will be used to light cigarettes/cigars, etc... Certain chemicals can be poisonous, is this something that needs to be taken into consideration?  Will it work with normal zippo lighter fluid (naphtha/ronsonol)...?

I was thinking of soaking a zippo wick in copper chloride or even copper sulphate, and allowing it to dry completely before inserting into my lighter...but I don't know what to expect when this is mixed with ronsonol Assuming of course "something" will happen...

any ideas?

[Arkcon]

The intense green flame can be made with boric acid.  If it's soluble enough in zippo fuel, you'll notice the flame color.  Can't say for sure it's completely non-toxic, but there should be vanisingly small traces left after being burnt in a flame, that's used to light a smokable, that's puffed once, then the flame is extinguished.  'Tho I would chose boric acid, over copper salts for green color, just based on relative toxicity.  I wouldn't use cobalt for blue.  Or chromium salts at all. (what color does that make, I don;'t even know.)  Strontium for red might be harmless, or not.  But I'd go with lithium for red anyway, it's even found as a trace in mineral waters, even though it's a therapeautic drug, it is a little more ingestable.

[redzoneos]

thanks, i guess i'll give boric acid and zippo fuel a try!!!  is there any safety concerns with this combination??  i mean the end goal is to have the zippo lighter work like a normal lighter, but with a different colored flame!!!

is there any chance the zippo lighter is gonna explode in my hand or something?  haha

[Arkcon]

I make no guarantee for the safety, nor the possibility of explosion.  I assume you don't want an explosion, but you can never really tell 'round here.  I've used alcohol solutions of these chemicals soaked onto cotton and lit them in open pots, and I know a zippo lighter isn't pressurized like a butane lighter, but this is all up to you.

[pantone159]

For the green flame, I think you do need an alcohol - the green color comes from the boric acid ester. Boric acid is also used as an insecticide, I don't know how comfortable I would be smoking something lit with it.

[redzoneos]

well the way i see it smokers are taking in about 5 million hazardous chemicals with every "drag" anyway, adding one more to the list won't matter much, especially considering the small amount I intend to add... and by the way, I don't smoke, but if I have a lighter on me and I offer it to someone else for use, I want it to work like a normal lighter which is why I asked on here about the safety issues

thanks for your responses guys, i have one more question in terms of the "explosion" risk.  I can't imagine the few drops I add of boric acid will be enough to make a zippo's shell burst, but just to be safe, do you have any ideas of how I can test out the explosion risk without actually holding the lighter?

basically what i need is some way of testing the explosiveness of zippo fluid + boric acid... note that I don't have a laboratory so all of the testing will be done in my yard or garage with readily available materials...

can I simply mix some in a small metal container, seal it with only a fuse/wick showing, and then light it to see if it explodes??  Of course I'll cover the metal container with something, just not quite sure what yet.

[pantone159]

Boric acid is solid, not liquid, so 'a few drops' doesn't mean anything. I doubt it will dissolve in lighter fluid, my CRC has no mention of solubility in nonpolar solvents. I think you do really need the alcohol.

[limpet chicken]

Boric acid isn't going to make things go boom, and pantone is right, I would form the borate ester of an alcohol first, boric acid won't dissolve easily.

You will likely need a strong acid as a catalyst for the esterification though such as sulfuric, or conc. phosphoric acid.