Another method by which oxygen may be brought into intimate contact with combustible bodies so as to form an explosive is through the action of nitric acid upon them by which nitrogen and oxygen combined as NO, is intro duced into the molecule. Three cases present themselves. First, when the combustible body is a simple or mixed primary alcohol and the nitric acid reacts with the acidic hydrogen. Second, when the combustible substance is a hydrocarbon or its derivative and the nitric acid reacts with the hydrogen of the hydrocar bon or the hydrocarbon nucleus. Third, when the reaction leads to the union in the hydro carbon of NO. through the intervention of a nitrogen atom. The products of the first case are organic nitrates called also nitric esters. The products of the second case are nitro substitution compounds. Those of the third are called nitroamines. Examples of the first case are ethyl nitrate from ethyl or grain alcohol, glycol nitrate from ethylene glycol, glyceryl nitrate (nitroglycerin) from glycerol (glycerin), mannitol nitrate from mannitol (mannite), starch nitrate (nitrostarch) from starch, and cellulose nitrates (guncctton and pyroxylin) from cotton. Examples of the sec ond case are mono and di nitro benzene from benzene, tri nitro phenol (picric acid) from carbolic acid (phenol), nitrotoluenes from toluene, and nitro-naphthalenes from naphtha lene. An example of the third is ethyl. These explosives differ markedly from mixtures like gunpowder, for, whereas in the mixtures the combustible substance and the oxidizing agents are in different masses, in the explosive compounds lilce nitroglycerin, they are both in the same molecule. Therefore in the latter the contact is more intimate and the reaction takes place with greater velocity.
In addition to the explosives of the char acters described above is another class of chemical compounds, of which mercuric fulmi nate, silver amine (fulminating silver), acety lene, the azides and diazo benzene nitrate are notable examples, whose explosive properties are due to a phenomenon (namely, a molecular disruption), which is quite unlike that of com bustion ascribed to those of the previous classes. This case of disruption arises from the fact that these substances are endo thermous compounds, or in other words, that they absorb heat during their formation and are therefore reservoirs of energy.
Classification of Explosives.— Following the foregoing theories of their constitution and behavior, explosives may be classed as (1) Nitrate mixtures.— Amide powder (charcoal, potassium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate); amidogene (bran or starch, charcoal, magnesium sulphate, potassium nitrate and sul phur); ammonal (metallic aluminiun and am monium nitrate); azotine (petroleum, charcoal, sodium nitrate and sulphur) ; blasting powder (charcoal, sodium nitrate and sulphur); car bazotine (bark or wood pulp, lampblack, fer rous sulphate, potassium nitrate and sulphur) ; Councille's triumph safety powder (charcoal, peat, coal, oleaginous matters (animal or vege table], metallic sulphates, sodium nitrate and sulphur) ; diorrexine (sawdust, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur); fractorite (rosin, dextrine, potassium dichromate, am monium nitrate); gunpowder (charcoal, potas sium nitrate and sulphur) ; haloxvline (char coal, sawdust, potassium ferrocyanide and potassium nitrate); Himly's powder (hydro carbons and potassium nitrate) ; Nordenfeldt and Meurling's powder (hydrocellulose, potas sium nitrate and sulphur); pyrolithe (charcoal, sawdust, sodium carbonate or sulphate, potas sium nitrate, sodium nitrate.and sulphur); saxi
fragine (charcoal, barium nitrate and sulphur); schneiderite (mononitronaphthalene and am monium nitrate).
(2) Chlorate mixtures.—Asphaline (hydro carbons, potassium sulphate, potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate): Berthollet's powder (char coal, potassium chlorate and sulphur); bri tainite (naphthalene, potassium nitrate, am monium nitrate, potassium chlorate); Callow's powder (orpiment, potassium ferrocyanide and potassium chlorate); carlsonites (naphthalene, or dinitrobenzene and other combustible sub stances with ammonium perchlorate); cheddite, (nitro body, oil and potassium chlorate); comet powder (rosin and potassium chlorate) ; cycene (cane sugar, paraffin oil or coal dust, potassium nitrate and potassium chlorate); Ehrhardt's powder (tannic acid, charcoal, rosin, potassium mtrate and potassium chlorate) ; Hahn's pow der (charcoal, spermaceti, antimony sulphide and potassium chlorate); Himly and von Trutschler-Falkenstein's powder (coal tar, po tassium nitrate and potassium chlorate); Hors ley's powder (nutgalls and potassium thlorate); Kellow and Short's safety powder (tanbark or sawdust, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, potassium chlorate and sulphur); Knaffi's pow der (ammonium ulmate, potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate and sulphur); Melland's paper powder (porous paper which has been soaked in a paste composed of starch, char coal, potassium ferrocyanide, potassium chro mate, potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate and water and dried) ; Oriental powder (gum gambier and potassium chlorate) ; Parone's ex plosive (carbon disulphide and potassium chlorate); Pertuiset's powder (sulphur and potassium chlorate); pyrodialites (mixtures of coal tar with chlorates or perchlorates and with or without nitrates, nitrosubstitution com pounds, charcoal and oxidizing salts) ; pyronome (rye flour, charcoal, metallic antimony, sul phur potassium chromate and potassium chlo rate) ; rossellite (asphalt oil and potassium chlorate).; Siemen's powder (a solid hyciro carbon, potassium nitrate and potassium chlorate) ; thorite (cane sugar and potassium chlorate); tutonite (metallic sulphides, sulphur and potassium chlorate) ; and white powders of Augendre. and Pohl (cane sugar, potassitun ferrocyanide and potassium chlorate).