Charcoal in black powder

Wise et al. investigated a number of crystalline organic compounds polynuclear aromatics, polyphenols, diacids, phthalein salts and phenolphthalein etc. as a substitute for charcoal in pyrotechnic formulations. Charcoal in black powder was substituted by these compounds in order to probe the chemical functionality of charcoal required for combustion. The data indicate that polynuclear aromatics which do not contain any oxygen do not sustain... 

Wise, S., Sasse, R.A., and Holmes, H.E. (1984) Organic substitutes for charcoal in black powder type pyrotechnic formulations. US Army Technical Report No. ARBRL-TR-02569. 

First made in 1847, nitroglycerine was found to be a much more powerful explosive than black powder, which is a physical mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. In black powder, potassium nitrate is the oxidizer, and sulfur and charcoal provide the fuel to be oxidized. The rate of a black powder explosion is limited by how... 

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