The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-11
WHAT Is DYNAMITE?


Gus Explosives.
Prof. o. f. Chandler in New York Tribune
Dynamite is nitro-glycerne with Just
enough of the silica added to convert it into
a powder that can be handled with compare
tive safety. Nobel obtained patent for his
discovery, and in order to evade it various
manufacturers have substituted other SUBJ
stances for the infusorial Silica and this ac-
counts for the variety of names for what is
essentially the same thing; such as Jupiter
powder rend-rock, etc. Among the substi-
tutes are mica gunpowder and magnesia.
The Ditmar Powder Company mixed sugar
with the glycerine before nitrating it, and
thus obtained a mixture of nitro-sugar and
nitro-gl ycerine, which was called glukodine.
This mixed with an absorbent gave powder
possessing all the explosive power of dyna-
mite. One of the most recent improvements
if it is an mprovement-in this class is an
explosive gelatine or gum, which is made by
dissolving soluble gun-cotton in nitro-glycer-
inc and adding q small percentage of cam
phor.
By initiating carbolic acid picric acid is
produced, which by itself is not particularly
explosive, but by combining it with potash
or baryta most explosive products result; but
they have not proved successful competitors
of the nitro-gly cerine preparations A totally
different class of explosives are those in which
the illuminate of mercury is used The full
inmate is chiefly used in percussion caps,
though al one LliuG IuGy ulI6u InG ueduS OF
harpoons with it and killed whales by its ex-
ploslon instead of stabbing them to death la
boriously. 1t is so dangerous to handle, how
ever that it is hardly available for any pur-
pose except percussion caps. Then there are
some substances which are too dangerous to
handle at all, such as the liquid chloride of
nitrogen and the solid iodide of nitrogen;
they do not explode by combustion, but by
dissertation. Thereare hundreds of different
explosive preparations. Take any combusti-
Bile substance and mix it with something
rich in oxygen and you have an explosive.
Or take any vegetable substance which adj
mits of being nitrated, and make nitro COM
pound by mixing it with sulphurc and nitric
acids and you have terrible explosive. 1t
is the extreme simplicity of the process of
making dynamite which adds to the danger
from the desperate men across the water.
1t will be very difficult for England
TO control the manufacture. 1t can
only be done by regulating
the sale of the agents, as the sale of poison is
regulated, or by taking in hand itself the ex
elusive right to manufacture all explosives.
The agents are so generally harmless in
themselves that their sale could hardly be
regulated. If you can get oil of vitriol and
saitpetre you can make nitric acid. Nitric
acid itself is used by builders; saltpetre for
curing meat glycerine is simple, harmless
substance when left alone; oil of vtriol must
be had for manufactures; and so it is that TO
restrict all these would be very difficult. No
great chemical skill is necessary to the manu-
facture of enough dynamite to blow up all
the government houses in Europe. 1t must
be made in small quantities, and the whole
process consists of mixing sulphuric and
nitric acids, and adding glycerine slowly
while the acid is agitated, and the vessel in
which the mixture is made is kept cold by
surrounding it with ice-water The chief
danger comes from the necessity of having it
thoroughly washed to get the acid out after
ward, or it is liable to undergo spontaneous
decomposition. There is no need of sending
any of the agents to England, for they are
as easily made there as here.