*RUBY POWDER.—- A 42-grain bulk smokeless powder, for shot-guns, introduced in 1899 by Curtis’s and Harvey. The following analysis was given in “Arms and Explosives,” 1917—
| Nitrocellulose, insoluble | 46·6 |
| ” soluble | 4·0 |
| Metallic nitrates | 34·0 |
| Nitro-compound | 8·2 |
| Starch | 5·5 |
| Moisture | 1·7 |
It is an inexpensive powder made without solvents.
RUSSELITE.—A coal-mine explosive which was made by the Forcite Co. in Belgium. It was on the old British Permitted List—
| Nitroglycerine | 40·5 |
| Collodion cotton | 2·3 |
| Potassium nitrate | 24·5 |
| Trinitro-toluene | 5·5 |
| Wood meal | 4 |
| Ammonium oxalate | 23 |
| Calcium carbonate | 0·2 |
*Poudre S is a shot-gun powder made by the French Government. It consists of—
| Guncotton | 37 |
| Soluble nitrocotton | 28 |
| Potassium nitrate | 6 |
| Barium nitrate | 29 |
| Moisture | 2 |
The ingredients are incorporated together under light edge runners, dried and partially gelatinised with 35 per cent. of ether-alcohol. The dough, which is not very coherent, is formed into grains by simply passing it through a sieve. The grains are dried, sifted, hardened if necessary with ether-alcohol, and again dried and sifted.
SABULITE is a blasting explosive containing ammonium nitrate, trinitro-toluene and calcium silicide. The last constituent increases the heat of explosion and renders the mixture more sensitive both to detonation and to blows; it plays the same part as the aluminium powder in [Ammonal].
| Ammonium nitrate | 78 |
| Trinitro-toluene | 8 |
| Calcium silicide | 14 |