536 CONCLUSIONS. 



BOOK III. 



1. It now remains merely to define the force of the various 

 explosive matters, regarded individually, in accordance with the 

 general principles set down in the first two portions of the work. 

 This is the object of Book III. 



2. In practice, a system susceptible of a rapid transformation, 

 accompanied by a marked development of gas and by great 

 development of heat, may be utilised as an explosive agent. 

 These systems belong, in fact, to eight distinct groups, 

 namely : 



The explosive gases (ozone, oxacids of chlorine) formed with 

 absorption of heat, that is to say, containing an excess of energy 

 (acetylene, cyanogen, etc.). 



Detonating gaseous mixtures such as hydrogen, carbonic 

 oxide, and hydrocarbons, mixed with oxygen, chlorine, and 

 oxides of nitrogen. 



Explosive mineral compounds nitrogen sulphide and 

 chloride, fulminating metallic oxides, ammonium nitrate, etc. 



Explosive organic compounds nitric ethers, nitric derivatives 

 of hydrocarbons, nitro derivatives, diazoic derivatives, fulmi- 

 nates, perchloric ethers, salts of metallic oxides easily re- 

 ducible. 



The mixtures of explosive compounds with inert bodies. 



The mixtures formed by an explosive oxidisable compound 

 and a non-explosive oxidising body gun-cotton mixed with 

 nitrate, picrate mixed with chlorate, mixtures of nitric acid or 

 hyponitric acid with nitrated and other bodies. 



Mixtures with an explosive oxidising base such as charcoal 

 dynamite, and blasting gelatin. 



Mixtures formed by oxidising bodies and by oxidisable bodies, 

 none of which is explosive separately such as powders with a 

 nitrate or chlorate base. 



3. The theoretical and practical data which characterise 

 explosive substances having been generally enumerated, as also 

 the practical questions relative to the use, manufacture, and 

 preservation of the same, as well as the proofs of their stability, 

 we have now come to the special study of these matters. 



4 We at first treated of gases and detonating gaseous 

 mixtures, beginning with the figures relative to the heat of 

 transformation, at the theoretical gaseous volume and pressure 

 in regard to explosive gases properly so called. Thus, at page 

 387, we have given the table of the characteristic data respect- 

 ing the chief gaseous mixtures. 



This table indicates that the potential energy of gaseous 

 compounds at unit weight only varies from single to double in 

 the case of gases containing carbon and hydrogen mixed with 

 oxygen. It is also the same in the case of the various hydro- 



