| Show A NEW GUNPOWDER C carbolic acid treated with concentrated nitric acid forms crystals of acid yellow and b itter bitter used in dyes combined with p potash it forms a golden colored gunpowder P owden of prismatic needles insoluble i in n alcohol and nearly so in cold water but dissolves in bolling boiling water at it becomes orange red if heated slowly and yellow again when cooled if heated quickly to F or touched with a red hot body it explodes violently with immense volumes of gas nitrogen carbonic acid hydrogen and oxygen set free and leaves a slight residuum of carbon and potash its smoke is light and easily dissipated and neither corrosive nor poisonous poison ous oua like that of common gunpowder it does not get damp and spoil like gunpowder by imbibing moisture from the air so that thatis it will be useful in the dampest mined andio and do away with much of the need neel of strong ventilation it is coming into use as blasting powder and for fire arms of various grades of strength and kinds of action the blasting powder is a mixture of and nitrate of potassa for fon guns charcoal is added to diminish its violence the blasting force is much greater than that of common gunpowder and equal to nl tro glycerine it will be of great use there therefore foie as torpedo powder for oil wells it is nearly as cheap as common gunpowder its brilliant yellow color is another advantage for it cannot be mistaken for other substances in common use the french government are carrying on trial experiments to see if it cannot be substituted for its old gunpowder in army practice |
