Potassium Permanganate oxidiser

[Najm]

Can potassium permanganate be used as an oxidiser instead of potassium nitrate in rockets?

[Zippiot]

No.

Potassium Permanganate is a suitable oxidizer for pyrotechnics but not inside of a rocket. It ignites when mixed with glycerin. Doesn't find much use anywhere really...

[Dang911]

Any strong oxidizer can work in a rocket engine, with a properly balanced reaction, and the right fuel, but I'm sure you knew that zippot.... I strongly recommend that you DO NOT USE KMnO4 in a candy rocket for the reason that when you mix sugar and potassium permanganate, you create a water sensitive compound, that can easily ignite by contact with moisture or water. If you were to try to melt the two chemicals together, I'm sure it would go off. If you can get your hands on some potassium permanganate, (my local grocery store hehehe), I'm sure you can get some potassium nitrate (grants stump remover, home depot, 1lb bottle with red cap, top shelf of pest control inside garden)

[Zippiot]

I assumed it was a candy rocket, making your own BP isn't a good idea (but neither is making any energetic compound!!!). Potassium permangante "will" work in rocket fuel with the correct fuel and such, but sugar and KNO3 is probably easier cheaper and less sensitive.

But the crazy purple oxidizer is cool lookin :)

[Najm]

If you were to try to melt the two chemicals together, I'm sure it would go off.

No, melting them both together doesn't make it go off,but I don't think that I'm getting a good burn with the permanaganate oxidiser.The mixture burns very well in open air with a lot of sparks but in enclosed spaces it melts and doesn't burn quickly.
With epoxy however it is a different story, sometimes burns with a flame or produces a lot of smoke according to varying amounts of the oxidiser.
Can anyone please tell how quickly a nitrate and sugar mixture burns.
I don't know if buying potassium nitrate is a good thing here.
Anyone knows how potassium permanganate decomposes into oxygen for example KNO3=KNO2+O

[Irvine.J]

I have a litte experience with PP rockets, with sugar and sulfur mixed. I have heard this can be explosive if improperly handled and would take the advice of advanced rocketeers in staying clear.
For one thing, I know for sure, when you burn PP, it shoots furiously reacting particles everywhere, sugar and sulfur just make it hotter. I have 2 PP experiment videos , where i was mixing vaseline/kerosine/ "other stuff" compounds to try and prolong the burn. By nature this reaction seems to produce alot of hard, hot particles, and alot of smoke. They dont seem to really give the push as some of the other even safer materials out there.
At this stage I pretty much put this stuff away as I am not a chemist and will stick with aerospace, though i have 3 little tiny rockets downstairs i suppose i should test fire for one last hoorah.
These have been in storage in what i'd call (relative safety) ie. not near ANY other combustable material, including carpet or wood, and have not exploded or caught fire, however I EXPECT them to at anytime, and hence are instorage in a metal box out in my barbeque... (Its been about 6 months)
I have video's on my website and will post the link in a few minutes (my website is stuffed... )
The rockets must have pushed fairly hard, just a guess as to lift that stand at all took some considerable weight on the old pinky.
There are rocket fuels out there you can bang on all day with a hammer, and not have it explode... use those.
Like I always say, a curious beginner is better then a flammin beginner, and I wish you all the best and goodluck with your projects, get us off this hellhole already, ask alot of questions and use saftey gear! Peace.

My advice, stay away from the PP- you dont want the nickname "Stubs".

[Zippiot]

Sugar and KNO3 burns quite slowly when uncontained, somewhere around 1 inch per second. But once pressure rises...hehe


If you are getting worse results when under pressure it could mean that there are too many particles flying around. They can mess up the nozzle throat reducing or increasing the pressure inside, leading to poor performance or explosion.

Also are you coring the material before you stick on a nozzle and burn it? An uncored "endburner" will have near the same perf as open air burns. Drill a hole right down the center, usually bigger than the nozzle throat but any hole helps :)