163 



OF PERCUSSION POWDER, 



AND THE BEST METHOD OF MAKING IT. 



Percussion powder differs from common gunpowder inasmuch 

 as it ignites with a blow, or, in other words, with excessive fric- 

 tion ; and contains so great a proportion of elastic fluid, that, 

 on explosion, its expansive force, compared with gunpowder, is 

 at least in the proportion of twenty to one, perhaps much greater. 



How long the composition of percussion powder has been 

 known amongst able and experimental chemists, I will not pre- 

 tend to decide ; but its discovery is not of a very recent date ; 

 and some years past an attempt, which was made in France to 

 introduce oxymuriate of potash into the manufacture of gun- 

 powder, was attended with fatal effects. 



Percussion powder may be made of oxymuriate of potash, 

 sulphur, and charcoal ; and these are probably the component 

 parts used both by Forsyth and Manton. I tried a number of 

 experiments on the above ingredients, and after varying the pro- 

 portion of each in every possible way, it appeared that the fol- 

 lowing were the best calculated for the purpose : 

 Oxymuriate of potash, nine parts 

 sulphur, one part and a half 

 charcoal, one part 



But I was surprised at the variations which might be made 

 in the proportions or parts, without any perceptible difference in 

 the result. One effect, however, I uniformly found, namely, 

 excessive corrosion ; and those who have been in the habit of 

 using Forsyth's method are very well aware of the urgent neces- 



