Section B. 

 CHEMISTRY. 



ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. 

 C. N. HAKE, F.C.S., F.LC, 



Chief Inspector of Explosives, Victoria. 



RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MODERN EXPLOSIVES. 



In compliance with your request to read an address before you 

 Association at this meeting, I have chosen a subject — I am afraid 

 rather a dry one — but it is one I am most conversant with ; and, in 

 dealing with it, I do not consider it advisable to repeat the so often 

 mentioned generalities about the manufacture and composition of 

 explosives, but will only touch lightly on representative types, and 

 on improvements which have gradually led up to the reliable pro- 

 pellants of the present time. 



Within the memory of many here present gunpowder was 

 practically the only explosive available, both for industrial and 

 military purposes, but the discovery of guncotton and nitro-glycerine 

 has gradually encroached upon its old domains and is displacing it 

 from its former unique position. It is, however, still the most 

 important and most commonly used explosive, both in the industries 

 and for warfare. Within recent times gunpowder was made in a 

 haphazard sort of way, and one kind was used for all Service pur- 

 poses. It was known as a violent explosive ; but no one troubled 

 about its characteristics, or about the pressures exerted in the gun, 

 or the muzzle velocity of the projectile. With the old smooth-bore 

 gun, with plenty of vvindage, no one could predict whether the 

 projectile would deflect to the right or to the left. But in spite of 

 all this the obsolete gunpowder, fine grained and quick burning, 

 was well suited to the ordnance, and very effective at close quar- 

 ters. The composition of Service gunpowder has undergone very 

 little change in recent times ; but, although still a mechanical 

 mixture of saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, the care bestowed on 

 its manufacture makes it possible to obtain with certainty uniformity 

 of results under similar conditions, as if it were a chemical com- 

 bination. These results, however, have only been obtained after 

 long study, patient research, and under difficulties which few 

 xinacquainted with the subject will appreciate. The principle 



