The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

198 NITRIC ESTERS
in one of the magazines. Molinari and Quartieri 9 in a book published
in 1913 state that the sample, consisting of about 200 cc.
under water in a bottle, was at that time unaltered and that
analyses gave values for nitrogen in the neighborhood of 18.35%,
close to the theoretical.
Sobrero seems originally to have thought more highly of the
solid crystalline nitromannite, which he thought might be used
in percussion caps, than of the liquid nitroglycerin, but a spontaneous
explosion of 400 grams of the former substance in the
laboratory of the arsenal of Torino in 1853 and the extensive
damage which resulted caused him to lose interest in the material.
After Nobel's invention of dynamite and of the blasting cap
had made the use of nitroglycerin safe and practical, Sobrero
attempted in 1873 to establish a factory to be operated by Italian
capital for the manufacture of an explosive called melanina,
which was a kind of dynamite formed by absorbing nitroglycerin
iti a mixture of powdered charcoal and the silicious earth of
Santa Fiora in Tuscany. 10 The project did not succeed. Shortly
afterwards Sobrero accepted a position as consultant to the
Nobel-Avigliana factory, a position which paid a generous salary
during his life and a pension to his widow after his death. The
high regard in which he was held by the Nobel company is indicated
further by the bust of him which was unveiled in 1879 in
the Avigliana factory.
Glycerin (glycerol) is a by-product of soap manufacture. All
natural fats, whether of animal or vegetable origin, whether
solid like beef suet or liquid like olive oil, are glyceryl esters of
long-chain fatty acids containing an even number of carbon
atoms. When they are warmed with an aqueous solution of strong
alkali, they are saponified; soap, which is the alkali salt of the
acids of the fats, is formed, and glycerin is produced which
remains dissolved in the liquid. Glycerin is also formed from
fats by the action of steam; the fatty acids, insoluble in water
and generally of higher melting point than the fats, are formed
at the same time.
Glycerin is a viscous liquid, colorless and odorless when pure,
and possessing a sweet taste. It is hygroscopic, will absorb more
9
Molinari and Quartieri, "Notizie sugli Esplodenti in Italia," Milano,
1913, p. 15.
lbid., p. 33.