The following table (A), also from Mr Orsman's paper, gives the composition of five prominent explosives, and shows the composition of the gases formed on explosion. The gases were collected after detonating 10 grms. of each in a closed strong steel cylinder, having an internal diameter of 5 inches.

With respect to the influence of ammonium nitrate in lowering the temperature of explosion of the various substances to which it is added, it was found by a French Commission that, when dry and finely powdered, ammonium nitrate succeeds in depreciating the heat of decomposition without reducing the power of the explosive below a useful limit. The following table (B) shows the composition of the explosives examined, and the temperatures which accompanied their explosion.

A
______________________________________________________________________
| | | |
| | | Composition of Gases. |
| |Volume |__________________________|
| Explosive. |of Gas | | | | |
| |formed.|CO_{2}.| CO. |CH_{4}| N. |
| | | | | &H. | |
|___________________________________|_______|_______|_____|______|_____|
| | | | | | |
| | | Per | Per | Per | Per |
| | c.c. | cent. |cent.|cent. |cent.|
|Gunpowder— | | | | | |
| Nitre 75 parts | | | | | |
| Sulphur 10 '' | 2,214 | 51.3 | 3.5| 3.5 | 41.7|
| Charcoal 15 '' | | | | | |
|Gelignite— | | | | | |
| Nitro-glycerine 56.5 parts | | | | | |
| Nitro-cotton 3.5 '' | 4,980 | 25 | 7 | … | 67 |
| Wood-meal 8.0 '' | | | | | |
| KNO_{3} 32.0 '' | | | | | |
|Tonite— | | | | | |
| Nitro-Cotton | 3,750 | 30 | 8 | … | 62 |
| Barium nitrate | | | | | |
|Roburite— | | | | | |
| Ammonium nitrate, 86 parts | | | | | |
| Di-nitro-chloro-benzol 14 '' | 4,780 | 32 | … | … | 68 |
|Carbonite | | | | | |
| Nitro-glycerine 25 parts | | | | | |
| Wood-meal 40 '' | 2,100 | 19 | 15 | 26 | … |
| Potas. nitrate 34 '' | | | | | |
|___________________________________|_______|_______|_____|______|_____|

B ____________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | Original | Percentage | Final | | Explosive. | Temperature |NH_{4}.NO_{3}| Temperature | | |Co-efficient.| added. |Co-efficient.| |__________________________|_____________|_____________|_____________| | | | | | |Nitro-glycerine | 3,200 | … | … | |Blasting gelatine | | | | | (8 per cent. gun-cotton)| 3,090 | 88 | 1,493 | |Dynamite | | | | | (25 per cent. silica)| 2,940 | 80 | 1,468 | | | | | | |Gun-cotton, 1 | 2,650 | … | … | | | 2,060 | 90.5 | 1,450 | | | | | | |Ammonium nitrate | 1,130 | … | … | |__________________________|_____________|_____________|_____________|

~Bellite~ is the patent of Mr Carl Lamm, Managing Director of the Rötebro Explosive Company, of Stockholm, and is licensed for manufacture in England. It consists of a mixture of nitrate of ammonia with di- or tri-nitro-benzol, it has a specific gravity of 1.2 to 1.4 in its granulated state, and 1 litre weighs 800 to 875 grms. Heated in an open vessel, bellite loses its consistency at 90° C., but does not commence to separate before a temperature of 200° C. is reached, when it evaporates without exploding. If heated suddenly, it burns with a sooty flame, somewhat like tar, but if the source of heat is removed, it will cease burning, and assume a caramel-like structure. It absorbs very little moisture from the air after it has been pressed, and if the operation has been performed while the explosive is hot, the subsequent increase of weight is only 2 per cent. When subjected to the most powerful blow with a steel hammer upon an iron plate, it neither explodes nor ignites. A rifle bullet fired into it at 50 yards' distance will not explode it. Granulated bellite explodes fully by the aid of fulminating mercury. Fifteen grms. of bellite fired by means of fulminate, projected a shot from an ordinary mortar, weighing 90 lbs., a distance of 75 yards, 15 grms. of gunpowder, under the same conditions, throwing it only 12 yards. A weight of 7-1/2 lbs. falling 145 centimetres failed to explode 1 grm. of bellite.

Various experiments and trials have been made with this explosive by Professor P.T. Cleve, M.P.F. Chalon, C.N. Hake, and by a committee of officers of the Swedish Royal Artillery. It is claimed that it is a very powerful and extremely safe explosive; that it cannot be made to explode by friction, shock, or pressure, nor by electricity, fire, lightning, &c., and that it is specially adapted for use in coal mines, &c.; that it can only be exploded by means of a fulminate detonator, and is perfectly safe to handle and manufacture; that it does not freeze, can be used as a filling for shells, and lastly, can be cheaply manufactured.

~Securite~ consists of 26 parts of meta-di-nitro-benzol and 74 parts of ammonium nitrate. It is a yellow powder, with an odour of nitro-benzol. It was licensed in 1886. It sometimes contains tri-nitro-benzol, and tri-nitro-naphthalene. The equation of its combustion is given as

C_{6}H_{4}(NO_{2}){2} + 10(NH{4}NO_{3}) = 6CO_{2} + 22H_{2}O + 11N_{2}

and, like bellite and roburite, it is claimed to be perfectly safe to use in the presence of fire damp and coal dust.[A] The variety known as Flameless Securite consists of a mixture of nitrate and oxalate of ammonia and di-nitro-benzol.

[Footnote A: See paper by S.B. Coxon, North of Eng. Inst. Mining and
Mech. Eng., 11, 2, 87.]