| Ordnance Powder. | Small Arms Powder. | ||
| Nitre | 73·78 | 77·15 | |
| Sulphur | 12·80 | 8·63 | |
| Charcoal. | Carbon | 10·88 | 11·78 |
| Hydrogen | 0·38 | 0·42 | |
| Oxygen | 1·82 | 1·79 | |
| Ash | 0·31 | 0·28 | |
| ——— | ——— | ||
| 99·97 | 100·05 | ||
2. Products of Combustion by Weight.
| Ordnance Powder. | Small Arms Powder. | ||||
| Gaseous. | Nitrogen | 9·77 | 30·58 | 10·06 | 34·18 |
| Carbonic anhydride | 17·39 | 21·79 | |||
| Carbonic oxide | 2·64 | 1·47 | |||
| Hydrogen | 0·11 | 0·14 | |||
| Sulph. hydrogen | 0·27 | 0·23 | |||
| Marsh gas | 0·40 | 0·49 | |||
| Solid. | Ammonic sesquicarbonate | 2·68 | 69·25 | 2·66 | 65·14 |
| Potassic sulphate | 36·95 | 36·17 | |||
| Potassic carbonate | 19·40 | 20·78 | |||
| Potassic hyposulphite | 2·85 | 1·77 | |||
| Potassic sulphide | 0·11 | 0·00 | |||
| Charcoal | 2·57 | 2·60 | |||
| Sulphur | 4·69 | 1·16 | |||
| Loss. | 0·17 | 0·68 | |||
| 100·00 | 100·00 | ||||
3. Products of Combustion by Volume in 100 of Gas.
| Ordnance Powder. | Small Arms Powder. | |||
| Nitrogen | 37·58 | 100 | 35·33 | 100 |
| Carbonic anhydride | 42·74 | 48·90 | ||
| Carbonic oxide | 10·19 | 5·18 | ||
| Hydrogen | 5·93 | 6·90 | ||
| Sulphuretted hydrogen | 0·86 | 0·67 | ||
| Marsh gas | 2·70 | 3·02 | ||
It will be seen from the above figures that in addition to the generation of a considerable amount of carbonic anhydride (carbonic acid) by the combustion of gunpowder, there is liberated at the same time a large quantity of solid matter, in the form of sulphate and carbonate of potash, sulphide of potassium, sulphur, charcoal, &c. This will explain why the air of mines is so prejudicial to the health of the miner, particularly when he is engaged in blasting operations, these being carried on in a more or less confined space. See Air, vitiated.
Gunpowder, Schultze. The subjoined account of Schultze gunpowder is a transcription of a report communicated to the editor of the ‘Field’ newspaper by Mr F. Toms, A.I.C., F.C.S. After referring to a previous communication on the same subject Mr Toms proceeds as follows:—I have carried out some further experiments, with the aid (by Dr Frankland’s kind permission) of apparatus more suited to my requirements than that previously at my disposal; and I now proceed to lay before you the results of these experiments, and the conclusions to which they have led me, respecting the powders formerly received and the new Schultze powder, with a sample of which you have since favoured me.
The main constituent of the Schultze gunpowder, as you are aware, is wood fibre, which, having first been purified, is then subjected to the action of strong nitric acid (intensified by mixture with sulphuric acid), and thus is converted into a kind of nitro-cellulose or pyroxylin, the ordinary form of which is gun-cotton. The wood fibre undergoes no change in appearance by this treatment; but a change takes place in its chemical composition, which may thus be exemplified:
| Cellulose (unconverted cotton or wood fibre). | Nitro-cellulose (cotton or wood fibre treated with nitric acid). | |
| Carbon | 6 parts | 6 parts. |
| Oxygen | 5 parts | 5 parts |
| Hydrogen | 10 parts | 7 parts or more. |
| Nitroxyl (NO2) | none | 3 parts or less. |
It will thus be seen that the sole difference between gun-cotton or Schultze powder and ordinary cotton or wood fibre is, that some of the hydrogen is abstracted and has its place supplied by nitroxyl—a substance contained in nitric acid, and composed of one part of nitrogen united with two parts of oxygen. Under the most favorable circumstances, it is possible to replace three of the ten parts of hydrogen by three of the nitroxyl, when the