Abstract
II. IN the year 1846 Schönbein discovered guncotton. In the year 1886, that is, forty years later, the French chemist Vieille invented his smokeless powder for military purposes. This explosive, which was primarily designed for use in the small calibre Lebel rifle, consisted essentially of guncotton, and the secret of its success lay in the fact that Vieille so altered its physical state that its rate of combustion, when confined, was under complete control. This condition was arrived at by treating the fibrous gun-cotton with suitable solvents which entirely destroyed the fibre and converted it into a colloidal, horny substance quite devoid of all porosity. The gelatinised guncotton resulting from this treatment burnt, when ignited, from the surface inwards, and by varying the surface area any required rate of combustion could be obtained. The use of smokeless powders manufactured in this way was very soon extended to all natures of ordnance.
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Improvements in Production and Application of Guncotton and Nitroglycerine 1 . Nature 81, 178–180 (1909). https://doi.org/10.1038/081178a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/081178a0