Gunpowder

Gunpowder is a compound made by mixing potassium chloride, KCl, found in low-fat salt, with nitrate from ammonium nitrate, NH NOj, found in the cold pack from a first aid kit. 

Add NH4NO3 to about 100 mL of water cmd stir it until it dissolves completely. Pour the solution through a coffee filter into glass container that has potassium chloride (KCl) at the bottom. Gently heat the mixture, and stir the mature until all the KCl is dissolved, taking care not to tap the glass too much so that you crack it. Then put the container in the freezer for two hours. (The cold speeds up crystallization.) Crystals of potassium nitrate with the consistency of slush form at the bottom. Pour off the excess liquid to continue drying them. 

When dry, in a nonmetallic container so that no sparks form, crush the crystals into a fine powder. (The chance of igniting the saltpeter crystals is quite low, but it s best to be safe and use a nonmetal container.) It works by the following equation  

Take the crushed, dried crystals, and add them to an equal amount of table sugar to form a makeshift gunpowder. 

TABLE 1 COMPARISON OF HISTORIC MIXTURES AND THE THEORETICAL BEST MIXTURE. 

Analysis of modern powder usually runs 74%, 11.5%, 14.5% when the moisture is added to the charcoal. 

Clearly the formulas are all in the range of Equation One s formula, and the ratio of potassium nitrate to sulfur is nearly constant. The variations are necessitated by the variations in the charcoals. The message is simple hold the ratio of potassium nitrate and sulfur constant and adjust for the nature of the charcoal used. The more nearly a charcoal approaches being pure carbon the more nearly the formula is optimized at Equation One ratios, if the materials are ground to two microns average particle size or finer. 

From the literature on blackpowder, the analytical chemistry data on ignition products is expected to contain a wide variety of chemicals. The average chemist would look at the laundry list of previously reported chemicals and despair of ever generating better data. Most of the analyses of products do not give the conditions of burning used in the experiments. Blackpowder is found to yield different products at different pressures and durations of confinement at temperature. There are simple chemical reasons for these differences in products. Applying the principle of Le Chatelier we find that the reactions should shift to compensate for the conditions of reaction. Examination of the literature shows the following list of products. 

Potassium carbonate Carbon dioxide Charcoal (trace) 

Sporting ammunition describes rifle and handgun ammunition for hunting and target practice. Commercial hunting bullets, ranging in size from around 6 to 12mm, may differ from the conical shape of military bullets in that they 

Artillery ammunition for guns, howitzers, cannons, and mortars ranges upwards in calibre from the 20mm limit that generally divides it from small-arms ammunition. Artillery ammunition is divided into three types  

Large-calibre artillery ammunition permits a more complex payload including high explosives, bursters, shrapnel, bursting charges, fuzes, incendiaries, etc. 

In addition to catalysts, stabilizers, opacifiers (to reduce heat radiation ahead of the flame), flash depressants, plasticizers, and binders, the main fuel and oxidizers for rocket propellants include 

While the term missile can apply to any projectile ammunition, guided missiles describes those rockets whose course or trajectory is controlled electronically by computers and communications equipment. 

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Sulfur is a component of black gunpowder, and is used in the vulcanization of natural rubber and a fungicide. It is also used extensively in making phosphatic fertilizers. A tremendous tonnage is used to produce sulfuric acid, the most important manufactured chemical. 

Miscellaneous Samples Besides environmental and clinical samples, differential pulse polarography and stripping voltammetry have been used for the analysis of trace metals in other samples, including food, steels and other alloys, gasoline, gunpowder residues, and pharmaceuticals. Voltammetry is also an important tool for... 

J. R. Partington, A. History of Greek Eire and Gunpowder, Heffer, Cambridge, UK, 1960. 

This type of explosive behaviour is not to be confused with explosions such as drat of gunpowder, where the explosion is caused by the extremely rapid expansion of the gases which are liberated by chemical reaction widr a large release of heat. 

Clearly, not all forms of earbon material, nor all the possible applieations thereof, are diseussed in this book. However, the applieation of earbon materials in many advaneed teehnologies are reported here. Carbon has played an important role in mankind s teehnologieal and soeial development. In the form of charcoal it was an essential ingredient of gunpowder The industrial revolution of the IS and 9 eenturies was powered by steam raised from the burning of eoal New applieations of earbon materials wiU surely be developed in the future. For example, the reeently diseovered earbon nanostruetures based on C q (closed eage moleeules, tubes and tube bundles), may be the foundation of a new and signifieant applieations area based on their superior meehanieal properties, and novel eleetronie properties. 

The preeautions with any partieular explosive depends on the hazard. In die UK explosives are elassified as 1 - Gunpowder 2 - Nitrate mixture 3 - Nitro eompound 4 - Chlorate mixture 5 - Eulminate 6 - Ammunition and 7 - Eireworks. 

The red [SSNO] anion (9.2) (2max 448 nm) is produced by the reaction of an ionic nitrite with elemental sulfur or a polysulfide in acetone, DME or DMSO. ° The formation of 9.2 probably proceeds via an intermediate such as the [S2NO2] anion. This process is thought to occur in the gunpowder reaction, which also entails the reaction of potassium nitrite (produced by reduction of potassium nitrate with charcoal) and sulfur. 

KNO3, a powerful oxidizing agent now used mainly in gunpowders and pyrotechnics, and in fertilizers. 

The presence of organic matter or other reducible material also markedly affects the thermal stability of nitrates and the use of KNO3 in gunpowder has been known for centuries (p. 645). 

Earliest known (Chinese) recipe for explosive gunpowder/ ... 

Gunpowder "diseovered independently in Europe by Roger Bacon (England) and Berrhold Swart2. 

John Winthrop, Jr., opens America s first chemical plant in Boston. They produce saltpeter (used m gunpowder) and alum (used in tanning). 

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