Gunpowder, made from sulphur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate, was developed in China in the 9th century and used in early firearms. It is now mostly replaced by smokeless powder made of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. The first successful smokeless powder was Poudre B, developed in 1884 by Paul Vieille.
Gunpowder is an explosive material traditionally made from sulphur, charcoal and potassium nitrate or saltpetre. It is used in fireworks and was once used as a propellant in firearms, although a different type of gunpowder is more common nowadays. Because the original gunpowder recipe, also called black powder, released a lot of smoke when it exploded, a smokeless powder composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin is now preferred for use in most firearms.
Gunpowder is an ideal explosive for firearms because it is a low explosive, powerful enough to expel a projectile but not damage the gun. It was developed in China in the 9th century by Taoist monks or alchemists looking for an elixir of life, and the Chinese soon adapted its use to early firearms. Europe and the Middle East acquired gunpowder in the 13th century and started making cannons. Another important use of gunpowder, fireworks, were developed in China in the 12th century as a means of scaring away evil spirits, and by the 17th century they were a common form of entertainment in Europe.
In the late 14th century, Europeans began “harvesting” gunpowder by mixing it with a liquid and shaping it into small granules or seeds. This process improved the texture of the gunpowder, which otherwise tended to separate into its component parts and become unusable, and reduced the powder. It also allowed the gunpowder to burn and explode more evenly, since prior to floating to the surface, gunpowder away from the flame was often ejected from the gun before it ignited.
Despite Corning’s major innovation, traditional gunpowder still had a problem in that it smoked heavily when ignited, causing visibility problems on the battlefield. The first smokeless powder, called guncotton, was invented in 1846 by the Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein. This original smokeless powder was unstable and dangerous, however, and viable smokeless powders were not developed until the 1880s.
The first successful smokeless powder was Poudre B, developed in 1884 by Paul Vieille. Poudre B was quickly followed by Ballistite, created in 1887 by Alfred Nobel, and Cordite, modified from Nobel’s formula by Frederick Abel and James Dewar. Smokeless powder is now used almost exclusively in firearms, to the extent that most references to gunpowder can be taken to refer to the smokeless variety.
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