The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

USES OF BLACK POWDER 43
Potassium nitrate 74.430
Potassium sulfate
Sulfur
Carbon 12.398
0.133
10.093
Charcoal
Hydrogen....
Oxygen
0.401
1.272
14.286
Ash 0.215
Moisture 1.058
Their mean results from the analysis of the gaseous products
(percentage by volume) and of the solid products (percentage by
weight) are shown in the following tables.
Carbon dioxide 49.29 Potassium carbonate 61.03
Carbon monoxide 12.47 Potassium sulfate 15.10
Nitrogen 32.91 Potassium sulfide 14.45
Hydrogen sulfide 2.65 Potassium thiocyanate 0.22
Methane 0.43 Potassium nitrate 0.27
Hydrogen 2.19 Ammonium carbonate 0.08
Sulfur 8.74
Carbon 0.08
One gram of the powder in the state in which it was normally
used, that is, while containing 1.058 per cent of moisture, produced
718.1 calories and 271.3 cc. of permanent gas measured at
0° and 760 mm. One gram of the completely desiccated powder
gave 725.7 calories and 274.2 cc. These results indicate by calculation
that the explosion of the powder produces a temperature
of about 3880°.
Uses of Black Powder
Where smoke is no objection, black powder is probably the
best substance that we have for communicating fire and for producing
a quick hot flame, and it is for these purposes that it is*
now principally used in the military art. Indeed, the fact that jta
flame is filled with finely divided solid material makes it more
efficient as an igniter for smokeless powder than smokeless
powder itself. Standard black powder (made approximately in
accordance with the 6:1:1 or the 6:1.2:0.8 formula) is used in
petards, as a base charge or expelling charge for shrapnel shells,
in saluting and blank fire charges, as the bursting charge of practice
shells and bombs, as a propelling charge in certain pyrotechnic
pieces, and, cither with or without the admixture of other
substances which modify the rate of burning, in the time-train