BY
ARTHUR MARSHALL
A.C.G.I., F.I.C., F.C.S.
CHEMICAL INSPECTOR INDIAN ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT
PHILADELPHIA
P. BLAKISTON’S SON & CO.
1012 WALNUT STREET
1920
Printed in Great Britain[Pg v]
It is a generation since a dictionary of explosives has beenpublished, and, in the meantime, many new explosives have beenintroduced. It is hoped, therefore, that this small volume, givingconcise information about these special materials, may prove usefulto those who have to deal with them. In Cundill and Thomson’s“Dictionary of Explosives,” issued in 1895, there are many entries ofthe names of inventors and of mixtures which had been proposed buthave never been used commercially, nor are likely to be. As modernexplosives were then in their infancy, it was no doubt wise to insertall the available information whether it appeared to be importantor not; but now it seems to me better to restrict the scope of thedictionary so as to keep its size within moderate limits. Practicallyonly explosives with special or proprietary names are therefore dealtwith here. For information concerning chemical substances, such asthe nitro-toluenes and other nitro-compounds, reference should bemade to the textbooks on explosives and chemistry.
A few words may, however, be said here about the nitrocelluloses.These are made by treating cellulose with a mixture of nitricand sulphuric acids, and then purifying the product by washingit thoroughly with hot water. The variety of cellulose most usedfor this purpose is cotton, and the product obtained from it isfrequently called nitrocotton, three special varieties of which arecollodion cotton, pyrocollodion and guncotton (q. v.). The onlyother form of cellulose which is nitrated on a commercial scale is“chemical cellulose” obtained by the treatment of wood or straw.[Pg vi]Nitrated wood cellulose has long been used for the manufacture ofsmokeless powders for shot-guns, and during the War the Germans madepowders for rifled fire-arms from it.
No trouble has been spared to make the dictionary complete andaccurate, but there must inevitably be omissions and errors in it,especially as regards the explosives of foreign countries. The authorwill be grateful for any additional information that may be sent him.
Explosives may be classified in various ways, according to thepurpose of the classification, but the great majority of them fallnaturally into two main divisions: propellants and high explosives.Propellants explode comparatively slowly, and are used to propelprojectiles from fire-arms. High explosives are much more rapid intheir action, and are used for bursting and shattering. Propellantsare of two sorts, according as they are intended for use in shot-gunsor rifled fire-arms. Those for shot-guns burn more rapidly than thosefor the latter, but both practically always contain a considerableproportion of nitrocellulose, gelatinised by means of such solventsas acetone or ether-alcohol, according as it is of high or lownitration. Some contain also nitroglycerine, and are then callednitroglycerine powders, whereas those that do not contain thissubstance are termed nitrocellulose powders. Many powders alsocontain other ingredients, as may be seen from the compositions givenin this dictionary.
Of high explosives an important class is used for charging shellsand bombs. As a rule, but not necessarily, these are not t