DR. H. DEBUS OR THE CHEMICAL THEORY OE GUNPOWDER. 
585 
will by its complete combustion produce amounts of beat and gas the product of 
which will be the required maximum. But a mixture which shall transform itself 
according to equation (XIII.), can only contain per 16 mols. of saltpetre from 8 to 24 
atoms of carbon, and from 8 to 16 atoms of sulphur. Hence, the product of the 
quantities of heat and gas will be a maximum for a powder composed of 
16KN0 3 +24C + 16S 
because according to the coefficients of equation (XI.) E will become greater and 
greater when y increases from 8 to 24, and z from 8 to 16, until it reaches its maximum 
value at a point y —38 and 2=23, outside the triangle BCD. 
For the purpose of calculating the values of E for different mixtures, we may 
simplify the coefficients and constant of equation (XI.), and write accordingly 
10441 —12-ly 3 +1208-4y—16^2+9942 —52 2 =E . . . (XVIII.) 
E has been calculated by means of this equation for different values of y and 2 with 
the following results :— 
II 
CO 
II 
CO 
V* 
E=25941-8 
o 
rH 
II 
2= 9, 
E = 28416 
y= 12 , 
2=10, 
E=30719'4 
y= 14, 
2=11, 
E = 32852 
y= if, 
2=12, 
E=34813-8 
y— is, 
2=13, 
E=36604-8 
II 
bo 
o 
2=14, 
E=38225 
y= 22, 
2=15, 
E = 39674'4 
y= 24, 
2=16, 
E=40953*0 
If, therefore, the carbon and the sulphur increase in different mixtures, the carbon 
by 2 atoms and the sulphur by 1 atom from 
16KN0 3 +8C+8S 
to 
16KN0 3 +24C-H6S 
then parallel with this change of the carbon and sulphur, a regular increase of the 
product of heat and gas takes place, until for 24C and 16S it becomes a little more 
than one and-a-half times as great as for 8C and 8S. 
If saltpetre and sulphur remain constant, and the carbon alone changes, then also 
an increase of the carbon is followed by one of E. 
y= 
8, 
ocT 
II 
E=25941-8 
y= 
16, 
2=8, 
E=32261-8 
y— 
18, 
2=8, 
E=33599'8 
y= 
22, 
2=8, 
E=35985-8 
4 f 2 
