Theory of Gunpowder. 501 



Ao = 79-102 



A, = 44-877 



Ag = 37-846 



K = 3-181 



C = 3079 



O = 19-828 



V = 51-414 



Ci = 53-111 

 By substituting them in the formulse, we get — 



k = 51-140 



IV = 0-580 



s = 0-505 



Jto= 3-772 



h = 1-176 



n = 40-063 



no=- 0-134 

 The gas consists, therefore, in 100 volumes, of — 



Carbonic acid 52-67 



Nitrogen 41-12 



Carbonic oxide 3-88 



Hydrogen ]-21 



Sulphuretted hydrogen . . . 0-60 



Oxygen 0-52 



Protoxide of nitrogen . . . O'OO 



10000 



The most surprising thing in this analysis is, that free oxygen 

 should be formed along with combustible gases at a high tempe- 

 rature. We do not believe that the 0-52 per cent, of oxygen 

 found arises from an error of analysis, since the accuracy of the 

 methods employed, and the care taken in the experiments, 

 scai'cely allow the possibility of such an error. The presence of 

 this oxygen is rather to be explained by assuming that the residue, 

 finely divided as smoke, which remains after the combustion of 

 the charcoal and sulphur, and which still contains nitre, may 

 give oiT small quantities of oxygen in cooling at a temperature 

 no longer sufficient to explode the gases, diluted as they are with 

 seventeen times the quantity of incombustible constituents. 



If powder in exploding decomposed exactly into sulphide of 

 potassium, nitrogen, and carbonic acid, as the theory hitherto 

 adopted requires, the last two gases ought to stand in the rela- 

 tion 1 : 3. But experiment shows that not even the relation 1:1-5 

 is obtained. From this circumstance it may be inferred that the 

 decomposition of gunpowder must depend on processes entirely 

 different from those on which the old theory is based. 



Wc may now proceed to answer the fourth question ; that is. 



