Royal Arsenal

Historical. The action of nitric acid on mannitol was first examined by A. Sobrero who isolated the hexanitrate in 1847 (Ref 3). The prepn on a lab scale was repeated by other workers in the mid-19th century (Refs 2, 4,10 12). It was mfd on a small scale in the Royal Arsenal at Turin, Italy until 1853, when 400g expld with great damage (Ref 33, p 198) later work has been described in Refs 13 15... 

Armament Research Establishment, Royal Arsenal (ARERA) is located at Woolwich, England... 

Re s for DPhA Analytical Procedures 1)0. Turek, Chemicky Obzor 1, 295(1927) Sc CA 22, 4819(1928) (Volumetric detn of DPhA in smokeless proplnts) 2) H. Levenson, JIEC(Anal Ed) 2, 246(1930) (Volumetric bromination determination of DPhA in NG proplnts in presence of Centr) 3) O.C. Ellington Sc H.B. Beard, JSQ 50, 1517(1931) (Royal Arsenal Method of volumetric bromina-rion for detn of DPhA in proplnts) 4) S.G. Cook, lEC (Anal Ed) 7, 250-55(1935) (Detn of DPhA in smokeless proplnts) 5) A. 

The self-propelled or locomotive torpedo was the brainchild of Robert Whitehead, an Knglish marine engineer. With contra-rotating propellers driven by a clockwork motor (compressed air drive came later) and with a percussion operated explosive in its nose, it first went into production at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, in the mid-1870s. 

Front view of polyethylene manikins from the 1950s used hy the Danish Royal Arsenal Museum to display gas masks. Polyethylene has absorbed the vulcanizing agent from the gas masks rubber straps. The vulcanizing agent contains sulphur and has stained the polyethylene irreversibly. 

Side view of polyethylene manikin from the Danish Royal Arsenal Museum showing stains caused by vulcanizing agent in rubber. 

As a further step to conserve supplies of acetone-based cordite — due to its stability and uniformity of effect, the preferred choice for naval gunnery — the Research Department at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich devised a new type of cordite for land service. This was known as cordite RDB. In place of highly nitrated insoluble guncotton, soluble nitrocellulose was substituted, and ether-alcohol was used as the solvent. This resulted in scarcity and higher prices for ether-alcohol, produced by the alcohol distilleries. Despite this, and although it was more expensive to manufacture, cordite RDB was accepted for use in May 1915, and put into production as a war emergency measure. ... 

Each ship carried two pieces of artillery of medium si2 e, and 40 arquebuses, with powder, lead, lard, pikes, leather morions, and cotton and blanket for escaupiles which are a kind of breastplates made as armour to protect the body. All these things were supplied from the royal arsenal. 

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