"Thermite reaction"

I found a "thermite reaction" video on YouTube and decided to do some research on "Thermite"s since I did not know anything about it at all. ( I did not even know that there was such and thing and thought it was a fraud.)
Not to be confused with termite, Termit (disambiguation), or Thermalite. We should try not to mix "Thermite" up with the above terms i mentioned like i did at first. :)

Basically, Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide, which produces an aluminothermic reaction known as a thermite reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create short bursts of extremely high temperatures focused on a very small area for a short period of time.

Thermites can be a diverse class of compositions. The fuels are often aluminium, magnesium, calcium, titanium, zinc, silicon, and boron. The oxidizers can be boron(III) oxide, silicon(IV) oxide, chromium(III) oxide, manganese(IV) oxide, iron(III) oxide, iron(II,III) oxide, copper(II) oxide, and lead(II,III,IV) oxide. All these I have just learnt recently during science for elements and compounds!

The most common thermite is aluminium-iron(III) oxide.

Thermite Reaction:

The aluminium reduces the oxide of another metal, most commonly iron oxide, as aluminium is highly reactive:

Fe2O3 + 2Al → 2Fe + Al2O3 + heat
The products are aluminium oxide, free elemental iron, and a large amount of heat. The reactants are commonly powdered and mixed with a binder to keep the material solid and prevent separation.

The reaction is used for thermite welding, often used to join rail tracks. Other metal oxides can be used, such as chromium oxide, to generate elemental metal. Copper thermite, using copper oxide, is used for creating electric joints in a process called cad welding:

3CuO + 2Al → 3Cu + Al2O3 + Heat
Some thermite-like mixtures are used as pyrotechnic initiators such as fireworks.

Thermites with nanosized particles are described through a variety of terms, such as metastable intermolecular composites, superthermite, nanothermite, and nanocomposite energetic materials.

A mixture of thermite and sulfur produces thermate which lowers the melting point of the iron it contacts when reacting by forming a eutectic system. This is useful in cutting through steel.

History of Thermite:

The thermite (thermit) reaction was discovered in 1893 and patented in 1895 by German chemist Hans Goldschmidt. Consequently, the reaction is sometimes called the "Goldschmidt reaction" or "Goldschmidt process". Dr. Goldschmidt was originally interested in producing very pure metals by avoiding the use of carbon in smelting, but he soon realized the value in welding.

The first commercial application was the welding of tram tracks in Essen, in 1899. Evonik, formerly Degussa, a corporate descendant of Goldschmidt's firm, is still today one of the world's largest producers of welding thermite.