and Detonating Matches. 135 



ment of nitrogen. This will lead us to the following propor- 

 tions of these constituents : 



Hydrogen 1. Per Cent. 



1 prime equivalent of nitre . 102 75.00 



1 sulphur 16 11.77 



3 charcoal 18 13.23 



136 100.00 



The nitre contains five primes of oxygen, of which three, 

 combining with the three of charcoal, will furnish three of car- 

 bonic oxide gas, while the remaining two will convert the one 

 prime of sulphur into sulphurous acid gas. The single prime 

 of nitrogen is, therefore, in this view, disengaged alone. 



The gaseous volume, on this supposition, evolved from one 

 hundred and thirty-six grains of gunpowder, equivalent in bulk 

 to seventy-five grains and a half of water, or to three-tenths of a 

 cubic inch, will be, at the atmospheric temperature, as follows : 



Grains. Cubic Inches. 



Carbonic oxide . ." "42 = 14*1.6 



Sulphurous acid . . 32 =" 4 7. '2 



Nitrogen . . ' . '14 = 47.4 



236.2 



being an expansion of one volume into 787.3. But as the tem- 

 perature of the gases at the instant of their combustive forma- 

 tion must be incandescent, this volume may be safely esti- 

 mated at three times the above amount, or considerably up- 

 wards of two thousand times the bulk of the explosive solid. 



But this theoretical account of the gases developed does not 

 well accord with the experimental products usually assigned, 

 though these are probably not altogether exact. Much car- 

 bonic acid is said to be disengaged, a large quantity of nitro- 

 gen, a little oxide of carbon, steam of water, with carburettcd 

 and sulphuretted hydrogen. From experiments to be presently 

 detailed, I am convinced that the amount of these latter pro- 

 ducts printed in italics must be very inconsiderable indeed, 

 and unworthy of ranking in the calculation ; for, in fact, fresh 

 gunpowder does not contain above one per cent, of water, 

 and can therefore yield little hydrogenated matter. Nor is the 

 hydrogen in the carbon of any consequence. 



It is obvious that the more sulphur is present, the more of 



