The chemistry of powder and explosives : complete in one volume

Chapter CONTENTS PAGE I PROPERTIES OF EXPLOSIVES....................................... 1 Definition................................................................ 1 Classification of Explosives. ................................... 2 A Complete Round of Ammunition ......................... 6 Propagation of Explosion........................................ 10 Detonating Fuse ..................................................... 11 Velocity of Detonation............................................ 14 Munroe Effect......................................................... 18 Sensitivity Tests .................................................... 21 Tests of Explosive Power and Brisance ................. 23 II BLACK POWDER.......................................................... 28 Introduction ........................................................... 28 Berthold Schwarz................................................... 29 Boerhaave on Black Powder .................................. 29 Greek Fire .............................................................. 32 Marcus Graecus...................................................... 34 Roger Bacon........................................................... 35 Development of Black Powder............................... 39 Burning of Black Powder ....................................... 42 Uses of Black Powder............................................. 43 Manufacture........................................................... 45 Analysis .................................................................. 47 Blasting Powder..................................................... 48 Ammonpulver. ....................................................... 49 Other Related Propellent Explosives...................... 50 III PYROTECHNICS ........................................................... 52 Introduction ........................................................... 52 Development of Pyrotechnic Mixtures................... 53 Colored Lights ........................................................ 63 Railway Fusees....................................................... 65 Scratch Mixture...................................................... 68 Marine Signals ........................................................ 66 Parade Torches..................................................... 67 Aluminum and Magnesium Flares......................... 68 Lances..................................................................... 69 Picrate Compositions.............................................. 70 Picrate Whistles ..................................................... 72 Non-Picrate Whistles.............................................. 73 Rockets................................................................... 73 Roman Candles ...................................................... 79 Stars ....................................................................... 81 Gerbs ...................................................................... 89 Fountains ............................................................... 90 Wheels.................................................................... 91 Saxons .................................................................... 92 Pinwheels................................................................ 93 Mines ..................................................................... 97 Comets and Meteors .............................................. 98 Bombshells. ............................................................ 100 Maroons ................................................................. 104 Toy Caps ............................................................... 105 Silver Torpedoes .................................................... 106 Japanese Torpedoes ............................................... 107 Globe Torpedoes .................................................... 108 Railway Torpedoes................................................. 109 English Crackers or Grasshoppers.......................... 1ll Chinese Firecrackers................................................. 112 Flash Cracker Composition .................................. 117 Sparklers ............................................................... 117 Wire Dips and Colored Fire Sticks ....................... 119 Pharaoh's Serpents................................................ 119 Black Non-Mercury Snakes .................................. 120 Smokes. ................................................................. 122 IV AROMATIC NITRO COMPOUNDS................................. 125 Introduction .......................................................... 125 Effect of Groups on Further Substitution ............. 127 Utilization of Coal Tar.......................................... 129 Effect of Substituents on Explosive Strength........ 132 Mono- and Di-nitrobenzene .................................. 133 Trinitrobenzene...................................................... 134 Nitration of Chlorobenzene ................................... 140 Trinitrotoluene....................................................... 141 Trinitroxylene ........................................................ 153 Nitro Derivatives of Naphthalene ......................... 154 Hexanitrobiphenyl................................................. 158 Picric Acid ............................................................. 159 Ammonium Picrate................................................ 167 Guanidine Picrate .................................................. 168 Trinitrocresol ......................................................... 169 Trinitroresorcinol................................................... 169 Trinitroanisol and Trinitrophenetol....................... 169 Trinitroaniline ....................................................... 173 Tetranitroaniline.................................................... 173 Tetryl..................................................................... 175 Ethyl Tetryl .......................................................... 183 Butyl Tetryl .......................................................... 183 Hexanitrodiphenylamine ....................................... 184 Hexanitrodiphenyl Sulfide ..................................... 187 Hexanitrodiphenyl Sulfone .................................... 187 Hexanitro-oxanilide................................................ 188 Hexanitrocarbanilide.............................................. 188 Hexanitroazobenzene............................................. 189 V NITRIC ESTERS ......................................................... 191 Methyl Nitrate ...................................................... 192 Other Alkyl Nitrates ............................................. 194 Nitroglycerin ......................................................... 195 Dinitroglycerin.......................................................214 Mononitroglycerin ................................................. 218 Nitroglycide ........................................................... 218 Dinitrochlorohydrin............................................... 220 Tetranitrodiglycerin .............................................. 222 Nitroglycol .............................................................223 Dinitrodiglycol ....................................................... 226 Trinitrophenoxyethyl Nitrate ................................ 227 Nitration of Ethylene ............................................ 228 Pentryl ................................................................. ..229 Hexanitrodiphenylaminoethyl Nitrate .................. 232 Trimethylene Glycol Dinitrate.............................. 233 Propylene Glycol Dinitrate ................................... 234 Butylene Glycol Dinitrate..................................... 235 Nitroerythrite........................................................ 235 Nitromannite......................................................... 236 Nitrodulcite ........................................................... 238 Nitrosorbite........................................................... 238 Nitrated Sugar Mixtures ...................................... 238 Nitroarabinose ........................................................ 240 Nitroglucose............................................................ 241 Nitromannose ......................................................... 241 Nitromaltose ........................................................... 241 Nitrolactose ............................................................ 241 Nitrosucrose............................................................ 242 Other Nitrosugars ................................................... 242 Early History of Nitrated Carbohydrates ............... 244 Nitrocellulose........................................................... 256 Determination of Nitrogen ...................................... 269 Nitrostarch.............................................................. 273 Utilization of Formaldehyde.................................... 276 Pentaerythrite Tetranitrate..................................... 278 Dipentaerythrite Hexanitrate .................................. 281 Trimethylolnitromethane Trinitrate ........................ 283 Nitropentanone and Related Substances ................. 285 VI SMOKELESS POWDER ................................................... 287 Bulk Powder ........................................................... 287 Early History of Colloided Powders........................ 292 Classification of Colloided Nitrocellulose Powders.. 297 Manufacture of Single-Base Powder ........................ 299 Stabilizers................................................................ 307 Transformations of Diphenylamine During Aging of Powder............................................. ,.................. 311 Absorption of Moisture ........................................... 313 Control of Rate of Burning ..................................... 317 Gelatinizing Agents ................................................. 320 Flashless Charges and Flashlesa Powder.................. 322 Ball-Grain Powder .................................................. 328 VII DYNAMITE AND OTHER HIGH EXPLOSIVES................. 331 Invention of Dynamite............................................331 Invention of Ammonium Nitrate Explosives ........... 335 Guhr Dynamite....................................................... 336 Straight Dynamite.................................................. 338 Blasting Gelatin...................................................... 343 Gelatin Dynamite ................................................... 344 Permissible Explosives................................................ 346 Sprengel Explosives.................................................... 353 Liquid Oxygen Explosives.......................................... 355 Chlorate and Perchlorate Explosives........................ 357 Ammonium Nitrate Military Explosives.................. 367 VIII NlTROAMINES AND RELATED SUBSTANCES....................... 369 Nitroamide .................................................................. 369 Methylnitramine ......................................................... 371 Urea Nitrate ................................................................ 372 Nitrourea .....................................................................373 Guanidine Nitrate....................................................... 374 Nitroguanidine ............................................................ 380 Nitrosoguanidine......................................................... 391 Ethylenedinitramine ................................................... 393 Dinitrodimethyloxamide ............................................ 394 Dinitrodimethylsulfamide .......................................... 395] Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine................................... 396 IX PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES, DETONATORS, AND PRIMERS. .. 400 Discovery of Fulminating Compounds ..................... 400 Mercury Fulminate ..................................................... 405 Silver Fulminate.......................................................... 412 Detonators ................................................................... 413 Testing of Detonators ................................................ 421 Lead Azide ................................................................... 424 Silver Azide.................................................................. 430 Cyanuric Triazdde........................................................ 432 Trinitrotriazidobenzene .............................................. 436 Nitrogen Sulfide ___ ,.................................................. 438 Lead Styphnate ........................................................... 440 Diazonium Salts .......................................................... 441 Diazodinitrophenol ...................................................... 443 Tetracene...................................................................... 446 Hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine ............................. 451 Friction Primers ..........................................................453 Percussion Primers......................................................454 INDEX OF SUBJECTS .................................................................... 476