The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-18
CURIOUS EssPL 0sIV Es
4 or Gun <cosfo ON Is bfain Land prr-
M, re ii IrS,raIis Sd ellis.


{ Gov Gun Eosf ON IS o bfaiI,stl and Isre-
E5 e pnred For Use In s1i ellis
HYDROGEN 4 or1ns part of nearly ali
4 organic substances. n the greater
Number of plants b 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 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 Wild
plant life deconpoSeS the water in the
earth and also the carbonic acid gas
which forms q small percentage of the
atmosphere. The roots take UP water,
and it flows up through tic trunk o.
the tree, while at the same time the
carbonic acid gas of the atmosphere Il;
decouposed, 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
mospIlerc, forming a true hydrocIrDon.
which in many cases constitutes the
greater. part of the weight of the plant.
The fbrous material so formed Is
generally known as ceilulOse. Pure
cotton and paper pulp made from wood
are examples of pure cellulose. If eel
luIosc is plunged into strong nitric acid
the hydrogen is displaced by what are
known as nitrogen croUpS''-tllat is
oxygen in chemical combination with
posing it and driving out the hydrogen
and sippIanting it. The action of the
nitric acid upon the cellulosc produces
water which reduces the strength of
the acid. and TO avoid this z conSidera-
Bile quantity of very strong sulphuric
acid is mixed with the nitric acid.
This Il bSorbS the water as fast as it is
formed. keeping the nitric acid. as one
might say, III Il dry state When cot
ton has been nitruted in this way and
then very carefully washed for many
hours to deprive it OF every trace of its
acid and dried. it becomes gun cutton.
chemically known as trinitrocellulose.
If. however. the acids are weak. then
co1odon cotton is produced. which is
known to chemistry rs dIntrocellu-
lose. It is only trinitrocclIuIose. how
ever that is employed in the nranufac-
turc of high explosives.
But celIuIoSe 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-
p1osivcS, and all are nitratc.l in Drac-
tically the same manner-name1E- by
being dropped into strong nitric acid.
When glyccrin, which is the sugar of
fat is nitrated. it is known as; nitro
glyccrin, one of the strongest and best
known of explosives. Nitroglyccrin
tl,n
great number of snokclcss powders.
When carbonic acid (phcnoD is nj
trated, it is called trinitrophenol. or
picric acid. But picric acid was, made
more than century ago from indigo
1t crystallizes in brilliant yellow scales,
and it dyes all animal tissue an in
tcnsely brilliant yellow. It WAS used
many years in the arts as Il dveinS
agent before its true character as an
explosive was known. Picric acid is
indeed Il very peculiar substance. AL
though one of the most violent eNplo-
sives known, it is one of the safest
If thrown into n white hot furnace, it
burns away like pitch; if set on fire in
the open air, it burns with a yellow,
smoky flame. 1t cannot be exploded in
the open air, but If confined in Il strong
receptacle and ignited by Il strong full
minating charge it Dictionaries with ter
rifle violence, reducing the receptacle
into fine ragments.-Iarpcr'sW Weekly