MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES 13 



greater importance is the problem presented in con- 

 nexion with the manufacture of synthetic drugs. 



The preparation of many substances invaluable 

 in medicine has been developed on the Continent 

 as an adjunct to the coal tar colour industry; 

 salicylic acid and its derivatives, phenacetin, anti- 

 pyrine, salvarsan, and several important local 

 anaesthetics, have been imported from Germany 

 at prices so low as to make it impossible for any 

 English manufacturer to compete even if patent 

 monopolies did not exist. The astonishing revival 

 of the fine chemical industry in this country which 

 has occurred during the last two years is gradually 

 making up for the deficiency; it would, however, 

 be of interest to learn to what extent our economies 

 in purchasing such substances cheaply in the past 

 have been obliterated by the enormous cost of 

 smuggling them from Germany since the war began. 



The synthetic drug question is not, after all, 

 the most important chemical problem which has 

 arisen during the last two years ; the real supremacy 

 in this respect is held by the manufacture of pro- 

 pellent and high explosives. The propellent explo- 

 sive in every civilised country, cordite or one of 

 its modifications, has been already mentioned 

 above ; the high explosives in general use are picric 

 acid and trinitrotoluene. Picric acid is manu- 

 factured by treating phenol, separated from coal 

 tar or prepared from coal tar benzene, with mixed 

 nitric and sulphuric acids; trinitrotoluene is 



