IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SAFETY EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hermann Sprengel at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th April
1871.
I, HERMANN SPRENGEL, of Gloucester Street, Belgrave Road, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SAFETY EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the preparation and use of what I call safety
explosive compounds, and is based on the well known principle of
keeping separate the "oxidising" from the "combustible" agent until
such time as the effect of their chemical combination is required.
According to my Invention I employ certain "oxidizing" agents or
substances which will when mixed or incorporated with certain " com-
bustible" agents or substances become explosive by the agency of a
detonating fuse or cap. These agents or substances may be used together
in either of the three following modes namely:-
1st. The oxidizing agent or substance in a solid but divided con-
dition may be employed in conjunction with the combustible agent or
substance in a fluid condition.

page_text: 2nd. The oxidizing agent or substance in a fluid condition may be
used in conjunction with the combustible agent or substance in a solid
but divided condition.
And, third. The oxidizing agent or substance in a fluid condition
may be employed with the combustible agent or substance also in a
fluid condition.
In carrying out my Invention according to the first of the modes
above indicated, I place the solid but divided oxidizing substance or
agent in a vessel or chamber and to such oxidizing substance or agent I
add the fluid combustible agent or substance, and after such addition
I cause the same to explode by means of a detonating cap or fuse.
In carrrying out my Invention according to the second of the modes
above indicated, I place the solid but divided combustible agent or
substance in a vessel or chamber, and to such combustible agent or
substance I add the fluid oxidizing agent or substance, and after such
addition I cause the same to explode by means of a detonating fuse or
cap.
In carrying out my Invention according to the third one of the modes
above indicated I form a mixture of the oxidizing agent or substance
in a fluid condition with the combustible agent or substance also in a
fluid condition, in a suitable vessel or chamber, and I explode the mixture
formed by the two agents or substances by means of a detonating fuse
or cap.
The solid oxidizing agents or substances which I employ are the
oxisalts such as the chlorates, the perchlorates, and the nitrates of the
metals of the alkaline carths and of the alkalics, cither alone or as
admixtures of the same, and by preference such as are not hygroscopic,
for example potassium, chlorate, perchlorate, and nitrate.
The fluid oxidizing agents or substances which I employ are the
oxygen acids, such for example as nitric acid.
The solid combustible agents or substances which I employ are such
nitro compounds and nitrates of organic compounds as are non-explosive,
as for example, nitro-naphthaline and nitrate of aniline; I also employ
picric acid.
The fluid combustible agents or substances which I emply arc sulpho-
carbons, for example bi-sulphide of carbon, hydrocarbons, for example
benzole, nitro compounds, for example nitro-benzole, alcohols, æthers,

page_text: oils, and other combustible fluids. These I employ either alone or in
mixtures of one or more of the same, I further employ them or mixtures
of the same cither in their ordinary condition or when they contain in
solution either sulphur, nitro-naphtaline, picric acid, naphtaline, fatty
acids, or other solid hydrocarbons of which they may be solvents.
The proportions in which I prefer to employ the before mentioned
substances are such that the oxidation of the combustible substances,
and the deoxidation of the oxidizing substances employed shall be
effected. Thus for example I have obtained good results when about
100 parts by weight of potassium chlorate are employed with about
20 parts by weight of bisulphide of carbon.