Complex sentence: Gunpowder, also known as black powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive.Because of its burning properties and the amount of heat and gas volume that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks.
Split into simpler sentences: Gunpowder, also known as black powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. The Mother of Gunpowder (Oxford University Press, 2013) Because of its burning properties and the amount of heat and gas volume that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks.