This was not the serendipitous discovery that brought wealth to Nobel. Some years later, after inventing dynamite, he invented blasting gelatin. This was a result of experimentation and serendipity. Working in his laboratory one day he happened to cut his finger on a piece of glass. As was the usual first aid treatment, he applied collodion to the injury.
Collodion is a viscous solution of cellulose nitrate in ether and alcohol.
It provided a temporary covering over the wound after the solvents evaporated. It the cellulose was more heavily nitrated it became a very explosive substance called guncotton. The pain in his finger would not allow Alfred to sleep that night. He began to ponder a problem he had previously considered. He wanted to combine guncotton with nitroglycerin to produce a more powerful but safe explosive.