Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive Substances.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive Substances.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Although potassium nitrate forms the oxidising ingredient of gunpowder, and
although potassium chlorate enters into the composition of still more violent explosives,
yet neither potassium nitrate or chlorate, nor any other nitrate or chlorate, or per-
chlorate of the metallic bases, have ever been known to possess, at least at the ordinary
temperature, explosive properties. Unless intimately mixed with certain combustible
substances such as charcoal and sulphur, they have always been ranked amongst
inexplosive bodies. But experiments have revealed the fact that the aforesaid nitrates,
chlorates, and perchlorates, although they contain no combustible element, may be
exploded without the presence of combustible matter to unite with their oxygen, and
to develop, in thus exploding, a surprising force.
It is well known that when mealed gunpowder, or even saltpetre and charcoal
alone, without sulphur, is or are intimately mixed with nitroglycerine, both detonate
when fired by means of a detonator. But when nitroglycerine, which contains no
excess of combustible elements over and above what its own oxygen requires, is
intimately mixed with finely powdered saltpetre alone, without any addition of
combustible substance, the explosive force appears to be nearly as great as that of
gunpowder mixed with nitroglycerine. On exploding mixtures of nitroglycerine with
other of the aforesaid substances, instead of potassium nitrate, the result is similar.
Evidently other violently detonating explosives may be used instead of nitroglycerine,
for the purpose of promoting the explosion, in the same manner, of the aforesaid
substances.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive Substances.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6 Breams Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Although potassium nitrate forms the oxidising ingredient of gunpowder and
although potassium chlorate enters into the composition of still more violent explosives
yet neither potassium nitrate or chlorate nor any other nitrate or chlorate or per-
chlorate of the metallic bases have ever been known to possess when unmixed with
combustible substances, explosive properties. Unless intimately mixed with certain
combustible substances such as charcoal and sulphur they have always been ranked
amongst inexplosive bodies. But experiments have revealed to the inventor the fact
that the aforesaid nitrates chlorates and perchlorates although they contain no
combustible element, may be exploded without the presence of combustible matter to
unite with their oxygen and do develope in thus exploding a surprising disruptive
force.
It is well known that when mealed gunpowder or even saltpetre and charcoal alone
without sulphur is or are intimately mixed with nitroglycerine, both detonate when
fired by means of a detonator. But when nitroglycerine, which contains no excess of
combustible elements over and above what its own oxygen requires, is intimately mixed
with finely powdered saltpetre alone, without any addition of combustible substance,
the initial explosive pressure (not the ballistic force) appears to be nearly as great as
that of gunpowder mixed with nitroglycerine. On exploding mixtures of nitroglycerine
with other of the aforesaid substances instead of potassium nitrate the result is
similar.
Evidently other violently detonating explosives such as gun cotton or picrate of
potash or nitrated starch may be used instead of nitroglycerine and in the same manner
for the purpose of promoting the explosion of the aforesaid substances but they must
be very intimately mixed with the aforesaid nitrates, chlorates or perchlorates.
The class of explosives herein described requires the use of very strong detonators
containing say 1 gramme of fulminate to set them off detonatively.
An intimate mixture of say 80 parts by weight of powdered chlorate or perchlorate
of potassium with say 20 parts by weight of nitroglycerine forms a strong and violent
explosive which as it contains no combustible except the small quantity contained in
the nitroglycerine forms gaseous products which cool very rapidly and which therefore
are less liable than explosives now in use to ignite fire damp. The chlorate or per-
chlorate of potassium in the aforesaid composition may be replaced by an equal

page_text: quantity of one of the nitrates of potassium sodium or barium, but the detonators
needed for setting off such explosive mixtures must be considerably stronger than for
the chlorate or perchlorate mixtures aforesaid.
The nitroglycerine may in either case be liquid or thickened by dissolving therein
soluble nitro cotton by the method now in common use.
The explosives herein described may be used either for blasting or propelling but in
the latter case they must be exploded by means of a gunpowder charge of, say, one
tenth of their weight and not by means of a detonator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent I declare that what I claim is :
Explosives composed of a nitrate, chlorate or perchlorate of the metallic bases
intimately mixed with nitroglycerine or equivalent explosive matter but without the
addition of combustible matter substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.