IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES AND IN THE TREATMENT OF MATERIALS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: We EDWARD LUCK of Stamford Street Blackfriars Road in the County of Surrey
Chemist and FREDERICK BERTIE WORSLEY ROBERTS of the Union Club Trafalgar
Square in the County of Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES AND
IN THE TREATMENT OF MATERIALS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE
to be as follows:-
"
The materials which are now principally employed in the manufacture of
explosives are Potassium or Sodium Nitrate, Charcoal, or other Carbonaceous
matter and Sulphur.
It has hitherto been customary to refine the Potassium or Sodium Nitrate
intended for use by dissolving and recrystallizing rejecting the mother liquor
which contains the greater portion of the impurities such for example as Sodium
Chloride.
According to this Invention we determine the amount of Sodium Chloride
present in the Potassium or Sodium Nitrate and we then add Plumbic Nitrate in
equivalent proportions to the dissolved Potassium or Sodium Nitrate or we add the
Plumbic Nitrate to the Potassium or Sodium Nitrate before dissolving and then
dissolve them together and afterwards refine in the usual way-We also add (in
addition to the Charcoal) woody or similar matter which has been reduced to a
pulpy fibrous or meal like condition which may be effected in any suitable way for
example by saturating or partly saturating it with Nitric or other Acid which is
allowed to remain until the wood or similar matter is reduced to a pasty like pulp
the acid being then neutralized by adding Carbonate or caustic Potassium or
Sodium or the Acid may be neutralized before the wood or other matter has been
reduced to the state of pulp. For some descriptions of explosives the Charcoal is
added to the woody matter treated as above described before neutralizing the Acid.
The manufacture of the explosive is completed in the ordinary way.
1884.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the said Edward Luck
and Frederick Bertie Worsley Roberts.

page_text: We, EDWARD LUCK of Stamford Street Blackfriars Road in the County of Surrey
Chemist and FREDERICK BERTIE WORSLEY ROBERTS of the Union Club Trafalgar
Square in the County of Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of
this invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES AND
IN THE TREATMENT OF MATERIALS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:
"
The materials which are now principally employed in the manufacture of
explosives are Pottassium-Nitrate or Sodium-Nitrate, Charcoal (or other Carbon-
aceous matter) and sulphur. It has hitherto been customary to refine the
Pottassium-nitrate or Sodium-Nitrate intended for use, by dissolving and re-
crystallizing, rejecting the mother liquor which contains the greater portion of
the impurities such for example as Sodium Chloride.
According to this Invention we first determine the amount of Sodium Chloride
present in the pottassium Nitrate or Sodium-Nitrate and we then add to the
dissolved Pottassium-Nitrate or Sodium-Nitrate, Plumbic-Nitrate" in equivalent
proportion to the Sodium-chloride present, or we add the plumbic-Nitrate to the
Pottassium Nitrate or Sodium-Nitrate before dissolving and then dissolve them
together and afterwards refine in the usual way. In manufacturing the explosive
we add (in addition to the charcoal forming one of the ordinary ingredients) wood,
woody matter, or other similar matter, or carbo-hydrate, such for example, as sugar
or starch reduced to a dissolved pulpy, fibrous, or meal-like condition by saturating
or partly saturating it with nitric acid, which acid is allowed to remain until the
wood or similar matter is reduced to a pasty like pulp, or a fibrous or meal-like or
dissolved shape, and when it is in this condition a certain amount of oxalic acid is
present. The nitric acid is then neutralized by adding Carbonate of potash or
Soda, or caustic Potash or Soda, or the acid may be neutralized before the wood or
other matter has been reduced to the state of pulp or the equivalent state. The
matter thus obtained is dried and is added to the ingredients usually employed in
making gunpowder or like explosives, the said matter replacing some of the
charcoal in a proportion according to the rapidity of explosion required, and the
manufacture of the gunpowder or like explosive is thereafter proceeded with and
completed in the ordinary way. For some descriptions of explosives, before the
acid is neutralized the charcoal constituting one of the ordinary ingredients may be
added to the woody matter treated as above described.
The mode of treatment, whilst remaining substantially same, may be varied as
follows; wood, woody material, carbonaceous matter, sugar, starch or other carbo-
hydrate, is mixed with caustic potash or Soda and water, and heated until the
whole assumes a condition in which it is soluble or partly soluble in water, and the
operation may be continued until the mass becomes dry. Nitric acid is added' in
proportions equivalent to the Caustic potash or Soda used, (or in less or greater
proportions according to the effect required). The whole is either dried at once to

page_text: be afterwards mixed with the other ingredients, of the explosive, and the manu-
facture is completed in the ordinary way, or the ordinary ingredients of the
explosive are added before drying, and all are dried together, and the manufacture
completed in the usual way. The operation of heating the wood or the like with
caustic potash or Soda as herein before described, may be carried on either in open
vessels or in closed vessels under pressure. By the hereinbefore described treatment
oxalic acid is formed which combines (at the time of formation) with the caustic
alkali in greater or lesser proportions according to the duration of the operation.
In the expression, " nitric acid," hereinbefore and hereinafter used, we include
any acid of similar qualities in this application, such for example as picric acid, but
wo believe that Nitric acid is the only acid generally available for manufacturing
on a Commercially economical Scale.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First Treating potassium-nitrate, or sodium nitrate, to be employed in the
manufacture of explosives, with plumbic-Nitrate, to decompose the sodium-chloride
with which the said potassium-nitrate or sodium nitrate is contaminated, sub-
stantially in the manner herein before described.
Second: For the manufacture of explosives, the preparation of woody matter
or other similar matter, or carbo-hydrate, by treating it with nitric acid and
neutralizing the acid by caustic potash or soda or their carbonates, and the use in
the manufacture of explosives of the matter so obtained, in conjunction with the
other or usual ingredients of gunpowder and analogous explosives, substantially as
herein before described.
Third
For the manufacture of explosives, the preparation of woody matter
or other similar matter or carbo-hydrate, by treating it with a solution of caustic
potash or Soda, and heat, and afterwards adding thereto nitric acid, and the use in
the manufacture of explosives of the matter so obtained in conjunction with the
other or usual ingredients of gunpowder and analogous explosives, substantially as
herein before described.