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Nitroglycerine and Guncotton: a Double Centenary

Abstract

A HUNDRED years ago there occurred a striking double even the consequences of which could scarcely have been foreseen, even by the most imaginative visionary of the time: Ascanio Sobrero, professor of chemistry in Turin, discovered nitro-glycerime the basis of many modern explosives, both military and industrial; and C. F. Schönbein, professor of chemistry at Basle, discovered guncotton, which has also exerted a profound influence on the explosives industry, not only because of its military applications, but also as the forerunner of other similar nitrocelluloses which have had enormously wide applications in peace-time industries.

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WEIR, J. Nitroglycerine and Guncotton: a Double Centenary. Nature 158, 83–85 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158083a0

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