528 
DR. H. DEBUS ON THE CHEMICAL THEORY OP GUNPOWDER, 
If tlie products were left in contact at a high temperature for a longer time, they 
would react upon ea ch other, and the final result would be the same as that represented 
by equation V., to which corresponds the greatest evolution of heat. 
This theory of M. Berthelot is very ingenious, but does not agree with experience. 
Considerable amounts of carbon ought to be left free at the end of each explosion. In 
28 experiments of Noble and Abel no free carbon was left, and only in three cases 
small insignificant quantities had escaped combustion. The equations III., IV. and V. 
cannot be applied to the combustion of the powders of Waltham Abbey. But even if 
the theory were correct, it would possess no practical value, because the quantities of 
the powder which would burn according to each of the two systems of equations, could 
not be known a priori, but would have to be found by experiment. 
Berthelot invented his theory in order to explain the remarkable result of Noble 
and Abel’s experiments, that the same description of powder, or powders of similar 
composition, yield the products of explosion, in different experiments, in variable 
proportions. 
We will now proceed to show that this result can be explained, without hypothesis 
or theory, in a very simple manner. 
For this purpose it is desirable to express the analytical results of Noble and Abel 
in a manner different from the one adopted by these investigators* If we divide the 
numbers of Table II. by the corresponding molecular weights, we obtain another table 
expressing the number of molecules of the products obtained in the different experi¬ 
ments by the explosion of 1 grm. of powder. For Experiment XIX. we have :— 
0*2615 gramme or 0‘00189 mol. 
k,co 3 . . 
k 3 so 4 . . 
|sa ■ 
k 2 s 2 . . 
s . . . 
co 3 . . 
CO . . . 
N . . . 
BUS . . 
ch 4 . . 
H . . . 
KCNS. . 
kno 3 . . 
Am. i H 2 (C0 3 ) 
0-1268 
;j 
0-1666 
55 
0-0252 
55 
0*0012 
55 
0-2678 
55 
0*0339 
55 
0-1071 
55 
0-0080 
55 
o-oooo 
55 
0-0008 
55 
0-0004 
55 
0-0005 
55 
0*00072 „ 
0-00087 „ 
0-00017 „ 
0"00004 atom. 
0*00608 mol. 
0-00121 „ 
0"00765 atom. 
0*00023 mol. 
0-00000 „ 
0*00080 atom. 
0-0002 
Potassic carbonate, sulphate, sulphide, and hyposulphite, carbonic acid and carbonic 
* Noble and Abel discuss only the percentage quantities of the products of explosion. 
