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CHAPTER IV. 



DEFINITE NON-CARBURETTED EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS. 

 I- 



THE general list of these compounds has been given on 

 p. 368. The only ones which have been the object of sufficiently 

 accurate experiments to speak of them here are nitrogen 

 sulphide, nitrogen chloride, potassium chlorate, and certain 

 ammoniacal salts of the higher oxygenated acids, such as 

 ammonium nitrate, perchlorate, and bichromate. 



2. NITROGEN SULPHIDE : NS. 



1. Nitrogen sulphide contains, for 1 equiv. = 46 grms., 

 32 grms. of sulphur and 14 grms. of nitrogen. Or for 1 kgm., 

 sulphur 696 grms., nitrogen 304 grms. Its density is equal to 

 2*22. It is solid and crystallised. Heated to 207 it is decom- 

 posed, suddenly and explosively, into sulphur and nitrogen. 



2. According to the thermal study which we have made of 

 this body (p. 262), its explosive decomposition at constant 

 pressure, 



NS = SN, 



liberates + 32*2 Cal. for 46 grms. ; at constant volume 4- 

 31-9 Cal. 



3. It develops 1116 litres of nitrogen. 



This gives for 1 kgm. 694 Cal. and 242-6 litres of nitrogen 

 reduced to and 760 mm. 



At the temperature of explosion, sulphur should be regarded 

 as gaseous and even as possessing its theoretical density, which 

 it acquires beyond 800, according to Troost and Deville. The 

 total volume of the gases for 1 kgm. would then be at the 

 temperature t : 48 5 -2 litres (1 + at). 



To calculate the theoretical pressure at constant volume it is 

 necessary to know the specific heats of sulphur under its 

 various states, and the heats of transformation of this body in 

 passing from the solid to the liquid state, and from the liquid 



