Chemical Composition of Gun-Cotton. 275 



ing the tube to redness. The weight of these together were 

 13*125 grs., of which 5 were carbon and 8*125 we ascertained 

 to be anhydrous oxaHc acid. 



If we now collect these products, we find — 



fin the gases 15'030] 



Carbon X in the anhydrous oxalic acid 2*708 \- 22*738 



l^in the residue 5*000j 



fin the gases 31*680 1 



Oxygen X in the water 17*780 I- 54*876 



l^in the anhydrous oxalic acid 5*416j 



Hydrogen in the water 2*220 



Nitrogen in the gases 17'840 



97*674 

 Leaving a deficienc}'^, from unavoidable errors in "^ o.^na 



'} 



the experiment, of 



100-000 



If these ultimate elements be compared with the compo- 

 sition we have assigned to nitrated lignin or gun-cotton, we 

 shall observe the following near approximation : — 



From the From the composition 



analysis. of nitrated lignin. 



Carbon . . . 22*738 20*000 



Oxygen . . . 54*876 62*220 



Hydrogen . . 2*220 2*220 



Nitrogen. . . 17-840 15*560 



97*674 100*000 



Showing in the analytical result a loss of about 7 per cent, 

 of oxygen and a gain of about 5 per cent, upon the carbon 

 and nitrogen taken together. We have not been able to make 

 these discrepancies disappear, but have no doubt that they 

 result from the difficulties of the experiments, necessarily 

 performed on very small quantities, and multiplied when 

 brought out by calculation as 100 grains. 



It occurred to us as being very desirable to add to the 

 gun-cotton some oxidizing agent in sufficient quantity to fur- 

 nish the necessary oxygen for the complete combustion of all 

 the elements of the gun-cotton ; we tried chlorate of potash 

 with this view ; we could not however get the cotton to com- 

 bine with as much as we desired from an aqueous solution of 

 the chlorate, so as to adhere to the gun-cotton uniformly; but 

 a comlnistion effected with 1 gr. of the cotton with 0-4 gr. 

 of chlorate, and by treating the residue in the tube with a fur- 

 ther portion of chlorate, gave us the following result : — 



U2 



