Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-05-19
CURIOUS EXPLOSIVES.
Cow Gun Cotton Is Obtained and PDe-
nared E,or IfSe In shells.

pared For Use In Shells.
Hydrogen forms a part of nearly all
organic substances In the greater
number OF plants hydrogen is associat-
ed with carbon. The growing plant Is
provided with roots spread out in the
moist earth, while the part which is
above ground is provided with leaves
that come in contact with a great
.. quantity of air. BY some mysterious
! influence that we do not understand
the heat and light energy derived from
the sun operating in connection with
plant life decomposes the water in the
earth and also the carbonic acid gas
which forms n small percentage of tho
atmosphere. The roots take up water,
and it flows up through the trunk of
the tree, while at the same time the
carbonic acid gas of the atmosphere Is
decomposed, the oxygen set free and
the carbon combined with the hydro
gen of the water. 1t will therefore be
seen that In both cases oxygen Is set
free, and the hydrogen of the water Is
combined with the carbon of the at
mosphere, forming a true hydrocarbon,
which in many cases constitutes the
greater part of the weight of the plant.
The fibrous material so formed is
generally known as cellulose. Pure
cotton and paper pulp made from wood
are examples of pure cellulose II cell
lulose is plunged into strong nitric acid
the hydrogen is displaced by what are
known as nitrogen groups"-that is,
oxygen in chemical combination with
nitrogen enters the substance, decom-
posing it and driving out the hydrogen
and supplanting it. The action of the
nitric acid upon the cellulose produces
water, which reduces the strength Of
the acid, and to avoid this considera-
bic quantity of very strong sulphuric
acid Is mixed with the nitric acid.
This absorbs the water as fast as 1t is
formed, keeping the nitric acid, as one
might say, in a dry state. When cot
ton has been nitrated in this way and
then very carefully. washed for many
hours to deprive it of every trace Of it's
acid and dried, 1t becomes gun cutton,
chemically known as trinitrocellulose.
II, however, the acids are weak, then
collodion cotton is produced, which is
known to chemistry as dinitrocellu-
lose. 1t is only trinitrocelluIose, how
ever, that is employed in the manufac-
ture of high explosives
$ But cellulose is by no means the only
material that can be nitrated. There
are, in fact, hundreds of materials
which may be thus converted into ex-
plosives, and all are nitrated in prac-
tically the same manner-namely, by
being dropped into strong nitric acid.
When glycerin, which is the sugar Of
fat. Is nitrated, it is known as nitro
glycerin, one of the strongest and best
known of explosives. Nitroglycerin
and gun cotton form the basis of
great number of smokeless powders
When carbonic acid (phenoD is nj
trated, 1t Is called trinitrophenol, or
picric acid. But picric acid was made
more than century ago from indigo.
1t crystallizes in brilliant yellow scales,
and 1t dyes all animal tissue an in
tensely brilliant yellow. 1t was used
many years In the arts as dyeing
agent before its true character as an
explosive was known. Picric acid Is
indeed II very peculiar substance. AL
though one of the most violent explo-
sives known, 1t Is one of the safest
If thrown into a whiteehot furnace, it
burns away like pitch; If set on fire in
the open air, it burns with yellow,
the open air, but If confined in n strong
receptacle and ignited by strong full
minating charge 1t detonates with ter
rife violence, reducing the receptacle
into fine fragments.-Harper's Weekly.