shelf life of potassium chlorate based color stars

[pyrogenius007]

I normally make colored stars using formulas that contain potassium chlorate. Potassium perchlorate is horribly expensive in India so I prefer using chlorate. My question is can I make chlorate based stars and store them for a period of say 8 months. Will they deteriorate over time ?. I would like to make my stars during the summer months when it is hot and dry. I normally do all my paper work like making hemispheres, tubes etc., during the summer months. We have a festival called Diwali which is celebrated with fireworks, this festival comes sometime during the months of September or October and sometimes if the rainy season gets extended it rains right upto a fortnight or so before the festival leaving me with little time to make and dry stars. Can anybody please throw some light regarding the safety as well as the deterioration aspect of any chemicals/mixtures arising out of storing this stuff for such a long period ? (btw the room where I store and make my stuff is separated from my main house by 35 meters and I never keep more than 500 gms or 1 kg., of any chemical at any given time, I just replenish them when my existing stock is over) Thanks.

[Mumbles]

There's no exact answer to this. However, for the most part chlorate stars are not inherently unastable. Ensure they remain dry and out of direct sunlight and you'll probably be fine. This of course excludes mixtures with acidic components that might degrade over time.

[Arthur]

Storage life depends largely on the storage conditions. If you can properly dry the stars then store them dry the storage life will be longer than if the stars stay damp for a long time.

[pyrogenius007]

Thanks Mumbles and Arthur for your advice, there is one point I would like to clarify, you have mentioned that the stars should be kept out of direct sunlight, can I dry the stars in sunlight and once dry store them in a place which is not exposed to direct sunlight. One more point is would it be necessary to keep a few sachets of silica gel (the sort you get in medicine bottles) to absorb any moisture ? of course I will keep the stars in an airtight container.

[kingkama]

Chlorate star must to be dryed under shadows not in the sunlight, I read somewhere that the uv ray degrade the chlorate and the stars can set on fire.

If you don't use higroscopic compound (strontium nitrate an sodium salts) stars have a long shelf time and no moisture interactions.

[pyrogenius007]

kingkama, thanks for your advice.

[Mumbles]

I'd agree with Kingkama. Try to dry them in the shade if possible. UV can degrade chlorates.

[Arthur]

The difficulty in predicting storage life revolves around the weather where you are. 99% humidity in a monsoon will be very different from 20% humidity in an arid desert.

[pyrogenius007]

Thanks for the advice, in summer in India the temperatures go up to 42 degrees and it is hot and dry, I think the stars will dry even if placed in a shady place, once dry I will pack them in an air tight container and store them for future use. Thanks once again for having given me your valuable advice.

[SKC]

pyrgenius, may I offer you some suggestions as I'm also from India & have to handle same weather conditions as you do? Please try to use stontia or barita of lobachemie or atleast from CDH grade where impurities are minimised. Secondly consider making stars and preserve it in airtight containers before the onset of summer. In summer days the average temp will be high but on the other side humidity will also be high. So you will have problem.

[SKC]

And please remember, it is not dry when it is hot.