Black Powder 

Composition

Chemical Composition of Black Powder or Gunpowder

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com Guide

See More About:

 black powder
 chemical composition
 pyrotechnics
 history of chemistry

While black powder still is used for fireworks and some firearms, safer and less-smoky substitutes are used more
often. Pyrodex is a common black powder substitute.

Hustvedt, Wikipedia Commons

The composition of black powder or gunpowder is not set. In fact, several different compositions have been used
throughout history. Here's a look at some of the most notable or common compositions, plus the composition of
modern black powder.

Black Powder Basics

There's nothing complicated about the formulation of black powder. It consists of charcoal (carbon), saltpeter
(potassium nitrate or sometimes sodium nitrate), and sulfur.

Notable Black Powder Compositions

Typical modern gunpowder consists of charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur in a 6:1:1 or 6:1.2:0.8 ratio. Historically
significant formulations have been calculated on a percentage basis:
Formula Charcoal Saltpeter Sulfur
Bishop Watson, 1781 75.0 15.0 10.0
British Government, 1635 75.0 12.5 12.5
Bruxelles studies, 1560 75.0 15.62 9.38
Whitehorne, 1560 50.0 33.3 16.6
Arderne lab, 1350 66.6 22.2 11.1
Roger Bacon, c. 1252 37.50 31.25 31.25
Marcus Graecus, 8th century 69.22 23.07 7.69
Marcus Graecus, 8th century 66.66 22.22 11.11
Source: The Chemistry of Gun Powder and Explosives

More about Black Powder & Pyrotechnics

 Gunpowder Facts & History

 How Fireworks Work
 How to Make a Smoke Bomb

CHAPTERI
PROPERTIESOFE XP LOSIVE S
Definition
Ane x p lo s iv eis amat e ri al ,e i t he r ap uresin gles ubs t an ce or
am i x t u r e of substances, which isc a p a b l e ofp r o d u ci n g an ex-
plosion by its owne n e r g y .
It seems unnecessary tod e f i n e anexplosion, forev ery o n e
knows whati ti s — a loud noise and the sudden going away o f
thingsf r o m the place where they have been. Sometimes it may
only be the air in the neighborhoodof themat e ri al or the gas
fromt h eexplosion which goes away. Ou r simple definition makes
mention of the one single attribute which all explosives possess.
Itw i l l ben e ce s s ary to addo t h e rid e as to it if wew is h tod e s cri be
the explosive properties of any particular substance. Fo r exam-
ple, it is notp ro p e r tod e f i n e ane x p l o s i v e as as u b s t a n c e , or a
mixtureo f substances, whichi s capableo f undergoinga sudden
tr a nsf or ma t i onw i t h t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f h e a t a n dg as . T h ep r o -
duction ofhe ata l o n e by the inherent energy of thes u b s t a n c e
whichp ro d u ce sit w i l lbe e n o u g ht oco n s t i t ut e t hes ubs t an ce an
explosive. Cuprous acetylide explodes b y decomposing into co p -
per andc a r b o n andh e a t , no gasw h a t e v e r , but the s udde n he at
causesa sudden expansionof the air in the neighborhood,an d
ther e s u l t is an une qui voc al e xpl os i on. All explosive substances
produce he a t; ne a r l y all oft h e m pr oduc e g a s .T h e c ha nge is in-
variably accompanied by thel i be rat i o n of energy.T h ep ro d uct s
of the explosion represent a l owe r e ne r gy l e ve l t ha n did thee x -
plosiveb e f o r e it hadp r o d u c e d theexplosion. Explosives co m -
monly require some stimulus, likea blow or as p ark , to provoke
themto liberate their energy, t h a t is, tou n d e r g o thec h a n g e
whichp r o d u c e s t h e e x p l o s i o n , but the s t i m u l u s w h i c h "s e t s o f f "
the explosive does notco n t ri but e to the energyof the explosion.
The various stimuli t ow h i c h explosives respond and the m a n n e r s
°1 their responses inpr oduc i ng e xpl osi ons pr ovi de ac o n v e n i e n t
oasis for thecl a s s i f i ca t i o n ofthe s ei n t e re s t i n gmat e ri al s .

PROPERTIESOFE XP LOSIVE S

Sincew e un d e rs t an d a n explosive material to be one whichi s capableo f producinga n

explosion by its own energy,w e have opened the way to a consideration o f diverse possibilities.A
n explosive perfectly capableo f producinga n explosionm a y liberatei t s energy without
producing one. Black powder,f o r example,m a y burn in the open air.A n explosionm a y occur
withouta n explosive,t h a ti s , withouta n y material which con-

tainsi n t r i n s i c a l l yt h e e n e r g y n e e d f u l t o p r o d u c et h e e x p l o s i o n .
A steam boilerm a y explode because of the heat energy which
hasbe e np ut i n t ot he w a t e rw h i c h i t co n t a i n s . But the e n e r g yi s
noti n t r i n s i c tow at e r, andw at e r is not an explosive. Also, we

have explosives which do not themselves explode.T h e explosions consist in the sudden
rupturesof the containers which co n f i n e them,a s happens in a Chinesef i r e c r a c k e r .Fi re ,
traveling along

thef u s e(n o te thes p e l l i n g )re ache s thebl ackp o w d e r— m i x t u re

ofp o t a s s i u mn i t rat e ,s u l f u r ,a n dc h a r c o a l — w h i c h i s w r a p p e d
tightly within many layers o f paper;t h e powder burns rapidly
and produces gas. It burns very rapidly, for the heat resulting
from theb u r n i n g of the first portion cannot geta w a y , butr a i s e s

thet e mp e rat ure of the next portion ofp o w d e r , and ar i s e oft e m - peratureo f1 0° C. more
than doublest h e velocity of a chemical reaction.T h e temperature mounts rapidly;gas is produced
suddenly;a n explosion ensues.T h e powder burns;t h e cracker explodes. And ins till other casesw e
have materials which them- selves explode. T h e molecules undergo sucha suddent ran s - formation
witht h e liberationofhe at , or ofhe at and gas,t h a t thee f f e ct is ane x p l o s i o n .
Classificationo fExpl o s i ves
I.P r o p e l l a n t so rl o we x p lo s i v e s a reco m b u s t i b l emat e ri al s ,

containing within themselvesa l l oxygenn e e d f u l f o r their com- bustion, which burn but do
not explode,a n df u n c t i o n b y produc- ing gas which produces an explosion. Examples:
black powder, smokeless powder. Explosiveso ft hi s classd i f f e r widely among themselves in ther
a t e atw h i c h they deliver their energy. There are slow powders and f a s t p o w d e r s ford i f f e r e
n tu s e s . Thek i ck

ofas h o t g u n i sq u i t ed i f f e r e n t f r o m t h e persistent push against

thes h o u l d e r of a high-powered military r i f l e inw h i c h as l o w e r-
burninga n d morep o w e r f u l powder i s used.
II.P r im a r yexpl o s i ves ori n i t i a t o r se x p l o d e o r d e t o n at e w h e n

HIGHE XP LOSIVE S
3
they areh e a t e d ors u bj e ct e d to shock. They do notb u r n ;s o m e -
time? theyd ori o t even containt h e elements necessaryf o r com-
bustion.T h e materials themselves explode, and the explosion r e -
sults whether theya r eco n f i n e d o r not. Theyd i f f e r considerably
in their sensitivityt o heat, in the amounto fhe at which they
give off, and in theirb r i s a n c e ,t h a t is, in the shock whicht he y
produce when they explode. Not all of them a r ebri s an t enough
toi n i t i a t e thee x p lo s io n of a high explosive. Examples: mercury
fulminate, lead azide,t h e leads altso f picric acida n dt ri n i t ro -
resorcinol,m - n i t r o p h e n y l d i a z o n i u m p e r ch l o r a t e ,t e t race n e ,n i t ro -
gens u l f i d e , copper acetylide, fulminating gold, nitrosoguanidine,
mixtureso f potassium chlorate with re dp h o s p h o ru s o rw i t hv ari -
ouso t h e rsubstan ce s,thet art arat e s an do x alates o f m e rcu ryan d
silver.
III.Hi g he x p lo s iv e sd e t o n a t e under thei n f l u e n ce of the
shockof thee x p lo s io n of a suitable primary explosive.The y do
notf u n ct i o n byb u r n i n g ; inf a c t , not all oft h e m areco m b u s t i b l e ,
butm o s to f t h e m can beign ited by a flame and ins mallamo un t
generally burn tranquillyand can be extinguishedeasily .If
heated to a high temperature bye x t e rn a lhe at or byt h e i r own

combustion, they sometimes explode. Theyd i f f e r f ro m primary explosives in not being exploded
readily byhe at or bys h o ck , and generallyi n being more brisant a n dp o w e rf u l . T h e yexert a

mechanicale f f e ct upon whateveri s near them whent he y explode, whether theya r eco n f i n e d o
r not. Examples: dynamite,t ri n i t ro - toluene,t e t ry l , picric acid, nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin,
liquid oxygen mixed with wood pulp,f u m i n g nitric acid mixed with

nitrobenzene, compressed acetylenea n d cyanogen, ammonium

nitratea n d perchlorate, nitroguanidine.
It ise v id e n tt h a t we cannot describe as u bs t a n ce bys ay in g
that it is"v e ry explosive."W e must specify whether it issensi-
tive to fire and to shock, whether it isre allyp o w e rf u l orme re ly
brisant,o r both, whether it is fasto r slow. Likewise, in the dis-
cussions in the present book, we must distinguish carefully be-
tweens e n s i t i v i t y ,s tability ,a n dre act i v i t y . A s u bs t a n ce may be
extremely reactive chemicallyb u t perfectly stablein the absence
°f anything with which it mayre act. As ubs tan cem ay be ex-
plodedr e a d i l y by aslight s h o ck , but it may be s tablei f l e f tt o
itself.A n o t h e rm a y re q u i ret h e s ho ck of ap o w e rf u ld e to n ato r

PROPEETIESOFE XP LOSIVE S
tomak e ite x p lo d e but may bes u b j e c t to spontaneous decom-
position.
Thet hre eclasses ofe x p lo s iv emat e ri al so v e rlap s o m e w h a t , for
thebe h a v i o r of an u m b e r oft h e m isd e t e r m i n e d by then a t u r e
of thes timuli tow h i chthe y ares u bj e ct e d and by them a n n e r
inw h i c h theya r e used. Black powderh a s probably never been
k n o w n , even in the hideous explosions which have sometimes
occurred at black powder mills, to doa n y t h i n g butb u r n .
Smokeless powderw h i chi s madef r o m colloided nitrocellulose,
especially if it exists in as t at e of fine subdivision, is av i g o ro u s
highe x p lo s iv e and may be d e t o n a t e d b y m e a n s of as u f f i ci e n t l y
powerfuli n i t i at o r. In the gun it isl i g h t e d by a flame andf u n c -

tions as a propellant.N i t r o g l y ce r i n , trinitrotoluene, nitroguani- dine,a n d other high

explosivesa re usedi n admixture with nitrocellulosei n smokeless powders. Fulminateo f mercuryi f
compressedv e rys tro n gly becomes"d e adp ressed "an d losesits

power tod e t o n a t ef r o m flame, butr e t a i n s its p o w e r tob u r n , and

will detonatef r o mt h e shock of the explosiono f less highly com-
pressed mercury fulminate. Lead azide, however, always explodes
froms h o ck ,f r o m fire, andf r o mf r i ct i o n .
Some of the properties characteristic ofe x p l o s i v e s may be
demonstrated safelyb y experiment.
As a m p l e of commercial black powder ofm o d e r a t e l y fineg r a n u l a t i o n ,
sayFFF, may bep o u re d out in a narrow train, 6i n ch e s or a foot long,
on as h e e t of asbestos paper or a wooden board. When one end of the
train isi g n i t e d , thew h o le of ita p p e a r s tob u r n at onet i m e , for the
flametrav e lsalo n g itf a s t e rt han the eye canfollow. Commercialbl ack

powder is an extremely intimate mixture;t h e rate of its burningi s evidenceof thee f f e ct of intimacyo
f contact upontherat e of a chemical reaction.T h e same materials, mixed togethera s intimately as it is
possible to mix them in the laboratory,w i l l burn much more slowly.

Sixp art s byw e i g h t of potassium nitrate, one ofs u l f u r(ro l lbri m-

stone), and one of softw o o d(w i l l o w ) charcoala r e powdered separately
andpassed througha silk bolting-cloth.The yarethe n mixed,gro un d
together in a mortar,a n d again passed throught h e cloth;a n d this
processi s repeated.T h e resulting mixture, made intoa train,burn s
fairlyr a p i d l y but by no m e a n s in a s in g le flash. The e x p e r i m e n ti s m o s t
convincing if at r a i n of commercial black powder leads into at r a i n of
this laboratory powder, and the black powderi s ignitedb y means of a
pieceo f black match leadingf r o m the end of the traina n d extending
beyondt h e edge of the surfaceo n whicht h e powderi s placed.T h e

HIGH EXPLOSIVES
5
black match may be ignited easily by a flame, whereas black powdero n
af l a ts u r f a c e i so f t e ns u rp ri s i n g l yd i f f i cul t t ol i g h t .
Black match may be made convenientlyb y twistingt hre eo rf o u r
strands of fines o f t cotton twine together, impregnating there s u l t i n g
cord witha paste madeb y moisteningm e a lp o w d e r1 with water, wiping
offthee x ce s s of thep a s t e , anddrying while thec o r d is stretched over
af r a m e . A slower-burning black match may bem a d ef r o m thel a bo ra -
tory powder described above, and is satisfactoryf o r experiments with
explosives. Thee f f e ct oft e m p e r a t u r e on ther a t e of a chemical reaction
may bed e m o n s t ra t e ds t r i k i n g l y byi n t r o d u c i n g a 12-inch length ofb l a ck
match intoa 10-inch glasso r paper tube( w h i c h need not fit itt i g h t l y ) ;
when them a t c h isi g n i t e d , itb u r n s in theo p e n air at a moderate rate,
but, ass o o n as the firere a ch e s the point where the tube prevents the
escape ofh e a t , the flamed art st h r o u g h the tube almost instantaneously,
and the gases generally shoot theburning match out of thet u b e .
Cuprous acetylide,o f which onlya very small quantity may be pre-
pareds a f e l y at onet i m e , isp r o cu r e d by bubbling acetylene into an
ammoniacal solutiono f cuprous chloride.It precipitatesa sa brick-red
powder. Thep o w d e r isco l l e ct e d on a small paper filter and washed with
water.A b o u t0 . 1 g r a mof the m a t e ri a l ,still m o i s t ,i s t r a n s f e r r e d to a
small ironcr u ci b l e — t h erest of the cuprous acetylide ought to be de-
stroyedbyd is s o lv in g i nd i l u t en i t ri ca ci d — a n d t h ecru ci bl e i sp l ace d
on a triangle over as m a l l flame. Ass o o n as them a t e r i a l has dried out,
itexplodes, witha loudr e p o r t , causinga dent in the bottomof the
crucible.
A 4-inchf i l t e r paperi s folded as if for filtration, abouta gramo f
FFFb l a c kp o w d e r isi n t ro d u ce d , a 3-inch piece of black matchis in-
serted, and the paperi st w i s t e d i n such manner as to holdt h e powder
together in onep l a ce in contact with the end of them a t c h . Thebl a ck
match isl i g h t e d and thep a ck a g e is dropped, conveniently,i n t o an
empty pail.T h e powder burns witha hissing sound,b u t there is no
explosion for thep o w d e r was notre a l l yco n f i n e d . The same experiment
with about1 gramo f potassium picrate givesa loud explosion.A l l
metallic picratesa r e primary explosives, those of the alkali metals being
the least violent. Potassium picrate may be prepared b y dissolving
potassium carbonate in a convenient amounto f water, warming almost
to boiling, adding picric acid ins m allp o rt i o n s at at i m e asl o n g as it
dissolveswith effervescence, coolingt h e solution,a n d collectingt h e
crystals and drying them bye x p o s u re to thea i r . For safety's sake,
Corningmi l ld us t ,t hemo s t f i n e l yd iv id e d an di n t i mat e l yi n co rp o rat e d
black powder which it isp o ssible top ro cure .Lack i n gthis ,b l a c ksp o rtin g
Powder may begro un d upins mallp o rtio n s at at i me in ap o rce lain
mortar.