Thunder powder

Nitrohoney (Nitromiel). Nitration is best conducted in mixtures of honey and glycerin, using the acids and procedure described under Nitroglycerin. The explosive properties of this mixed explosive are similar to those of Nitrohydrin (qv). Nitrohoney was patented for use in the so-called Thunder Powder (qv)... 

Ref Daniel (1902), p 564 under Nitromiel and p 767 under Thunder Powder ... 

Raibun (Enka) (Thunder Powder or Smoke and Fire) consisted of K chlorate 60 Arsenic Sulfide 40%. Lt gray to tan powder used in fuze and pyrotechnic primers. Comp with Bakufun (Ref 1, p 25 Ref 5, p 369, where its compn is erroneously given as K chlorate 60 Antimony sulfide 40%)... 

Thunder Powder. An expl compn obtained by incorporating K chlorate, sawdust and chalk into a nitrated mixt of glycerin and honey Refs 1) Cundill (1889) in MP 6, 103 (1893) 2) Daniel (1902), 767... 

Reactivity of petroleum coke, like all solid fuels, is a function of chemical structure. Recognizing that the vast majority of all petroleum coke is produced in delayed cokers, analysis focuses upon delayed petroleum coke. Reactivity measures used here include maximum volatile yield and both devolatilization and char oxidation kinetics. Black Thunder Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal and Pittsburgh 8 bituminous coal are shown, for comparison, as reference fuels. 

The noted English scientist Roger Bacon was quite familiar with potassium nitrate/charcoal/sulfur mixtures in the 13th century, and writings attributed to him give a formula for preparing "thunder and lightning" composition [5]. The use of black powder as a propellant for cannons was widespread in Europe by the 14 th century. 

According to the book of Marcus Graecus, entitled Fire, which appeared about 1300 AD, the following composition was known in the. 13th century in Europe saltpeter 6p (66.7%), charcoal 2p (22.2%) and sulfur lp (11.1%). It was used in two munitions, a thunder bomb and an incendiary rocket, called the flying tunica. The latter consisted of a narrow cylinder filled with the above Black Powder mixture which served as both propellant and incendiary for this prototype rocket... 

Note that the envelope for flying should he long and slender and filled with the powder well packed. But the envelop for making thunder should be short and thick and half-filled with the said powder and strongly tied at both end with iron wire, (filo ferreo). 

Recently firework fuses which are modified types of the industrial Bickford fuse have appeared on the market. For example, the products of Nippon Kayaku Co. are as follows The main fuse for shells is 5 5 nim in diameter, with a burning rate of k 6 sec per 5 cm thunder report fuse is. 9 nim in diameter, the burning rate being the same as that of the main fuse. The main fuse is being modified so that no loose powder falls off this is superior to other ordinary Bickford fuse at the point where it is cut. The burning rate of these fuses is somewhat faster than that of ordinary Bickford fuse and so they can be conveniently used for manufacturing shells. 

GUN POWDER, LIGHTNING AND THUNDER, AND NITRO-AERIAL SPIRIT 217... 

Table 4-S summarizes the reactivity determination for the sawdust and urban wood waste, and cortqrares them to Black Thunder, a Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal and to a Pittsburgh 8 bituminous coal. Note the extreme reactivity of the woody biomass compared even to the relatively reactive PRB coal.

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