The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-03-11
EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS

EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS
Two of the most innocent substances
in the world are cotton and glyccrne.
Each. however, is al the head of :, very
explosive family. Like ancestors of
well-marked character, each has stamp
ed well defined popularity of its de-
Scendcnts. Effects are produced by the
cotton explosives which cannot be OBJ
tanned by the glycerine family. and the
glycerine explosives give results unat-
tainable by the gun-cotton family. Gun
cotton, as its name implies, is more adap-
ted to war-like purposes, while nitro
slycerine and its derivaties are better
suited to mining operations.
Nitro glycerine is obtained by placing a
quantity Of glycerine in bath compos-
ed of one part nitric acid and two parts
Of sulphuric acid. During the process a
high temperature is developed. and the
vessel in which the mixture is formed
requires to be kept in ice-water. Nitro
| glycerine thus obtained is colorlesS, has
a sweet, aromatic taste, and is Of the
consistency of olive oil. 1t congcals AT
| s degrees centigrade, but cXp!oies by Il
| shock or Jar or by being raised to the
| by an electric battery. or by Illuminating
| preparations, such as illuminate Of mer-
curry. It's explosive power is said by az
! tllerists to be six times that Of powder
and its projectile force four times great
er. In its simple state it was too danger
Gus for use, owing to its liability to cx-
plode by jar.
As usual. accident puts men of science
| on the right track. Some workmen
noticed that it lost it's exploSibiity when
mixed with a certain kind of sand. No
! bel WAS led. by observation Of this fact.
to form the compound named Dynamite,
| which is simply nitro-g ycerine absorbed
by sand. He used for his base Silicious
! sand found at Oberlohe, in Hanover
During this siege of Paris the French
engineers, not being able t" obtain this,
(kieselaur.) employed coke dust from
the compound Randannte. The first
dynamite manufactured by Nobel (hiS
No. 1 y contained seventy five parts
Of nitro gly cerinc and twenty live parts
of silicious slnd. Various propol tons
ale used, according to the work FOR
which the compound is destined. The
Austrian engi ncers employed the low
figures of forty or fifty per cent. nitro
glycerine absorbed III sawduSt. They
argued that it is better to increase tie
volume of the explosive substance than
to incur risk from using it i'll a more con-
centrated form. 1t was formed into car
tridges for the sappers u the army to
carry out their persons. the proportion
being thirty-fve per cent. nitrn-glyCe-
rine and SiXty-iive oi saw dust. In mincs.
where it is necessary that the effective
charge should occupy rs small 4 space
as possible, the proportions are inverted
Then some destructive gcniu>es invented
Illuminating and other compounds. All
these are styled dynamite with an inert
base, for the substances with which the
nitro slycerine is mixed contribute moth
ing to the explosive power. The next
step was the production of dynamitcs
with an active base. In them The nitro
glycerine is absorbed by carbonate of
magnesia. acetate of soda. nitrate of po-
tassium, and the like. which exercise
direct action on the explosion by utilz-
ing the portion of the oxygen set free by
the decomposition of the nitro lycerine
The French dynamites contain one of
these salts mixed with saw-dust or trip
oil stone. Nobel's dynamite, No. 3
contains nitre resin and coal dust
An Austrian engineer was next seized
with the bright idea of mixing nitro gly-
cerine with gun, cotton. He called his
new compound "proxyIine dynamite. y
and used seventy-tive per cent, OF nitro
glycerine and twenty five per cent OF
gun-cotton This put Professor Abel on
mettle, and he threw his talents into in
venting gloxyline dynamite--nixture Of
gun-cotton with nitrc saturated in nitro
glycerne. Nobel not TO be outdone. in
vented his explosive gelatne, consisting
of ninety-fve per cent, of nitro gly &C.
rine and five per cent, OF collodium cot
ton. This artificial is twice as strong as
his dynamite. NO. L." Nobel was now
i'll the vein. and he next devised his CELIA
tinous dynamite, containing S6.4O of the
nitro glycerine 0,60 of powdered sun-cot-
ton. and / of camphor. This compound
will resist the most violent shocks. 1t
is gelatinouS mass, elastic, transparent.
and of a pale yellow color. 1t can be cut
with knife and subjected to pressure
without any nitro glycerinc eNuding. 1t
preserves its virtues during long INNER
. sion in water. and when frozen forms a
solid mass, like candied sugar. 1t will
not explode. even when struck by a rifle
ball at twenty yards distance. 1t burns
IN fire quietly without explodins-iust
as ordinary dynamite does.
Dynamite. being now rendered nom
explosive by shock or by fire. requires
to be exploded by some illuminate. or by
electricity. The Eliminates of mercury
or Of silver or chloride Of potassium. are
the means generally used. In very cold
weather. when the dynamite is frozen.
it has to be thawed but it is only neccs-
sary to thaw one cartridge in order t"
set off the whole charge. The Effects
are almost incredible. Dynamite exp!od-
ed on a sheet of iron does not break it.
but breaks Il mole through it. Exploded
on the ground, it produces Il regular
crater.
MEDICAL QUACKERY.
From P1pul,r Science No1iiH.
VI II