568 
UR. H. DEBUS ON THE CHEMICAL THEORY OE GUNPOWDER. 
Composition of the powder 
Saltpetre. 6P66 
Sulphur. 15'05 
Carbon. 17*93 
Charcoals Hydrogen. 066 
Oxygen. 2*23 
Water. 1*66 
99U9 
which may be represented by the symbols: 
16KN0 3 +12-3S + 39-18C+16-16H+3-650 
L- Y - > 
charcoal. 
This mixture contains sulphur and carbon nearly in the same proportions as they 
occur in the service powder of Waltham Abbey [S : C=1 : 3'21], and therefore differs 
by containing much less saltpetre. 
The products of combustion, calculated for 16 mols. of decomposed saltpetre, yielded 
the following results :— 
3-66K 2 C0 3 +13-47C0 2 +2-96H 3 S + 2C 
+ 0-04K 2 SO 4 + 14-10CO +1T1CH 4 +1-27S 
+ 4T1K 3 S 3 + 7-96N 3 +2-2H 3 
+ 0-36KCHS +0-08[NH 4 ] 4 H 2 (CO 3 ) 3 
from which we calculate the composition of the powder as follows :— 
16KN0 3 + 12-85S + 34-94C+16-2H + 4-420 
v- Y - j 
charcoal. 
If we contrast the above results with those obtained by the explosion of the service 
powders of Waltham Abbey, (I.), page 545, it is seen that the large excess of carbon 
and sulphur in the mining powder has not diminished the amount of carbonic acid, 
but greatly increased the quantity of carbonic oxide. In the service powders, the 
oxygen of the charcoal is eliminated, with hydrogen, as water; in the mining powder 
it is found at the end of the combustion in union with carbon as carbonic oxide. The 
hydrogen of the charcoal thus set free partly remains so, partly unites with carbon 
and nitrogen respectively, forming marsh gas and ammonia, and during the cooling of 
the products, at a lower temperature, gives rise to the generation of much sulphuretted 
hydrogen. 
In consequence of the great excess of charcoal and sulphur, carbonic oxide, marsh 
gas and sulphuretted hydrogen are, calculated for 16 mols. of decomposed saltpetre, 
