Rather than being one particular compound, gunpowder is actually a mix of three different components. It consists of potassium nitrate (75% by weight), charcoal (15% by weight), and sulfur (10% by weight). Each of these components plays an important role in the combustion of gunpowder.
Gunpowder, also called black powder, is a simple mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. The trickiest part of making black powder is sourcing these three supplies. Once you find them, you mix them together and create an explosive black meal. Be extremely cautious when handling black powder,...
This article has been viewed 1,333,083 times. Learn more... Gunpowder, also called black powder, is a simple mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. The trickiest part of making black powder is sourcing these three supplies.
Black powder and a measuring device, for determining the amount needed in a muzzle loading firearm. Black powder, is a chemical mixture. It is often made with the simple recipe of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur.
‘Black powder’ is an old original gunpowder that’s been used for several centuries to propel bullets out of guns. Black powder can only develop a certain amount of pressure which limits the velocity of the bullet. I’m no chemist, that’s why I couldn’t get a biology degree, but black powder is basically 3 ingredients.
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and carbon act as fuels while the saltpeter is an oxidizer.
It consists of potassium nitrate (75% by weight), charcoal (15% by weight), and sulfur (10% by weight). Each of these components plays an important role in the combustion of gunpowder. Potassium nitrate, also known as 'saltpetre', or 'saltpeter', decomposes at high temperature to provide oxygen for the reaction.
There are four different types of gunpowder: black powder, brown gunpowder, white powder (also known as smokeless gunpowder), and gunpowder flash. Most modern guns use white gunpowder, which can have a single or double base.
Gunpowder which is used in a variety of explosives, is actually a homogenous mixture of elements like sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (also known as potassium nitrate).
Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists in the 9th century. Originally, it was made by mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate). The charcoal traditionally came from the willow tree, but grapevine, hazel, elder, laurel, and pine cones have all been used.
Sulfur is an additional fuel. The main reason that sulfur is included in the mixture is to make the powder burn faster. It does this primarily by speeding up the ignition process. As the powder is heated, the sulfur begins reacting with organic compounds in the charcoal to produce hydrogen sulfide.
There are two basic types of modern smokeless gunpowder: single and double base. Single-base smokeless powder is made from nitrocellulose. Double-base smokeless powder is a combination of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin.
There are perhaps from fifty to one hundred gunpowder mills in the United States. The principal companies are Du PONT's, in Delaware; HAZZARD's, at Enfield, Conn.; LAFLIN, SMITH & BOIES, at Saugerties; the Oriental Gunpowder Company, of Boston, and the Schaghticoke Gunpowder Company, at Schaghticoke.
Black Powder Basics It consists of charcoal (carbon), saltpeter (potassium nitrate or sometimes sodium nitrate), and sulfur. Charcoal and sulfur act as the fuel for the explosion, while saltpeter acts as an oxidizer. Sulfur also lowers the ignition temperature, which increases the combustion rate.
Black powder is usually 75% potassium nitrate (KNO3, known as saltpeter or saltpetre), 15% softwood charcoal , and 10% sulfur (elemental S).
Gunpowder, which is used in a variety of explosives, is actually a homogeneous mixture of elements like sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (also known as potassium nitrate).
sulfur (S), which, while also serving as a fuel, lowers the temperature required to ignite the mixture, thereby increasing the rate of combustion.
To make gunpowder, start by buying saltpeter, which you can either do online or by looking for stump remover at a garden store. Then, grind separately the saltpeter, charcoal, and elemental sulfur into powders using a mortar and pestle.
If you mix the gunpowder with water, you'll need to corn the gunpowder, or break it up into small pieces. Run the gunpowder ball through a kitchen sieve to break it into small pieces, then let the pieces dry out on a piece of paper.
If you're using a ball mill, mill the charcoal and sulfur together for 4 hours first, then add the saltpeter and mill the mixture for another 24 hours. Be extremely careful around the black powder once it has been mixed. Do not smoke or light a flame anywhere close to the powder, and keep it away from heat. 4.
You can use a ball mill to grind the components if you're planning on making a lot of gunpowder. A ball mill is used to both grind and mix powders safely.
Saltpeter is the common name for potassium nitrate. In the days when black powder was widely used, saltpeter was manufactured from bat guano or made from horse urine and other "manure so ils.". It's used in many fertilizers, as part of science projects, and in certain recipes.
If you're a purist, make your own charcoal by filling a metal drum with 3-inch pieces of willow or another wood, then placing the drum in a bonfire with a loose lid on top (to allow for airflow). Keep the bonfire piping hot for 4-6 hours, then open the drum. The wood will have charred into fine pieces of homemade charcoal, perfect for use in gunpowder.
Consider adding water. Some say adding up to 8% of water can improve the gunpowder's burning. Continue mixing the gunpowder, adding water in small increments until the gunpowder is the texture of thick clay. Form it into a ball when you're finished.
Black powder, is a chemical mixture. It is often made with the simple recipe of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur. Just mixing these ingredients in powdered form, by hand, will produce a very slow burning black powder, but many people would probably say that this doesn’t qualify. To create true black powder, the ingredients must be mixed very intimately.
While the KNO3 crystals are still moist, the charcoal and sulfur are mixed in, the moist paste is mixed and compacted by kneading beneath heavy rotating wheels in a kneading mill, and the compressed cake is transferred to a corning mill or kerneling mill to be cut into pieces of approximately correct size.
The optimal recipe calls for 75% potassium nitrate (73 moles), 10% sulfur (31 mole s), and 15% charcoal (125 moles) by weight. Since the molecular mass of KN03 is 102, that of S is 32 and that of C is 12, this ratio is very close to molar proportion of 5 KNO3 + 2 S + 8 C.
The nitrocellulose is usually then processed and turned into various propellants for things such as rifles, rockets, and artillery. These processes vary significantly, but usually involve washing and purifying the nitrocellulose, followed by, dissolving it, shaping it, and/or mixing in other additives to suit whatever purposes it is needed for. You can read more about nitration reactions and explosives in an Organic Chemistry textbook or books on explosives manufacturing.
A fun fact about black powder - The sulfur actually isn’t necessary at all. As long as you’ve balanced your reaction, you can use just charcoal and still make good black powder (at least as a propellant and low explosive). The problem it is won’t ignite as readily as black powder containing sulfur. You can imagine that in the days of flintlock and matchlock muskets, it was quite useful to have black powder that ignited easily.
Smokeless powder? No, I am not going to tell it. This is an industrial process and not suitable for home chemists - unless they know what they are doing and have proper equipment. There are good chances you will blow up your parents’ basement since this process involves on nitration, and anything which deals with “nitration acid solution” and “Lewis acid catalyst” gets my hair to rise. Most of all, nitration reactions are exothermic and liable to run wild if not properly controlled.
The original “gunpowder”, before the “gun” was even a part of it. It was also supposed to be an elixir of immortality. That turned out spectacularly.