THE 



LONDON, EDINBURGH and DUBLIN 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



SUPPLEMENT to VOL. XV. FOURTH SERIES. 



LXII. On the Chemical Theory of Gunpowder. 

 By R. BuNSEN and L. Schischkoff*. 



[With a Plate.] 



ALTHOUGH the combustion of gunpowder, which produces 

 its mechanical effect, appears, from all that we know, 

 by no means complicated, we are still but very imperfectly 

 acquainted with the phsenomena which occur in the process. For 

 what has been done in this important field of theoretical artillery 

 since the first, and even now, most important investigation of 

 Gay-Lussac, published thirty years ago, has led to such discord- 

 ant results, that we cannot be considered at the present time 

 to possess a chemical theory of gunpowder which even approxi- 

 mately accords with experiment. 



What is considered to be the normal composition of gun- 

 powder con-esponds to a mixture of 1 atom nitre, 1 atom sul- 

 phur, and 3 atoms charcoalf. Assuming that the whole of the 

 carbon is burnt to carbonic acid, and the nitrogen ehminated as 

 such, we shall obtain, as the following equations show, 330-9 

 cubic centims. gas at 0° and 076 pressure from 1 grm. powder. 



C3 n 3C02 



S >- N 



KO + NO^J KS 



fNitre 0-7484 ] 

 1 firm, of powder-^ Sulphur 0-1184 >-gives, when exploded, 

 LCharcoal 0-133.2 J 

 r Sulphide of potassium 0-4078 

 J Nitrogen .... 0-1037= 82-52 cubic cent. 

 [ Carbonic acid . . . 0-4885 = 248-40 



330-92 „ 



This volume of gas cannot vary if carbonic oxide and nitric oxide 

 * Translated by Dr. E. Atkinson. t Takin^r charcoal as pure carbon. 

 Phil. May. S. 4. No. 103. Suppl. Vol. 15. 2 K 



