View Full Version : Dunno where else to ask this....anywho, chemistry problem on gunpowder
Bahamut2000X
03-01-2005, 12:53 AM
Well I have a chemistry project, and I chose to do a report on gun powder. Well unlucky me, but of the 20ish sites I visited I couldn't find a single site that gives me the formula for gun powder, only just different equations leading up to it, but never the final product or anything close to it.
So I was wondering if anyone knew a site I could possibly find this answer or if anyone knew offhand what it was.
alexholker
03-01-2005, 02:34 AM
"a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks" I'd assume that this ratio is by weight.
potassium nitrate is KNO3
charcoal is " The residue, primarily carbon, from the partial combustion of wood or other organic matter." So mainly carbon, C.
sulphur is sulphur, S.
Gunpowder isn't made up of a single type of molecule, it is made up of a mixture of each of those components I mentioned. I hope that helps.
Leeza
03-01-2005, 02:47 AM
Did you check these out?
http://www.textfiles.com/anarchy/gunpowder
http://www.unitednuclear.com/bp.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/gunpowder.htm
There are two main types of gunpowder, black powder and ballistite, or poudre B.
Black powder is a mixture of carbon, sulfur and potassium nitrate (KNO<sub>3</sub>). That's the stuff that's used in fireworks.
Ballistite and poudre B produce no smoke, and are used in artillery. It contains mixtures of 50% C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>8</sub>(NO<sub>2</sub>)2O<sub>5</sub> (nitrocellulose) and about 50% C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>5</sub>N<sub>3</sub>O<sub>9</sub> (nitroglycerine) or CH<sub>4</sub>N<sub>4</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (nitroguanidine).
Hope that helps. :p
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