Gunpowder,alsocalledblackpowder,isanexplosivemixtureofsulfur,charcoalandpotassiumnitrate,KNO3(alsoknownassaltpetre/saltpeter)thatburnsrapidly,producingvolumesofhotsolidsandgaseswhichcanbeusedasapropellantinfirearmsandasapyrotechniccompositioninfireworks.Thetermgunpowderisalsooftenusedmorebroadlytodescribeanypropellantpowderusedinfirearms.Modernfirearmsdonotusethetraditionalgunpowder(blackpowder)describedinthisarticle,butinsteadusesmokelesspowder.Inthisarticle,thetermsgunpowderandblackpowderareusedinterchangeably.
Gunpowderisclassifiedasalowexplosivebecauseofitsslowdecompositionrateandconsequentlylowbrisance.Lowexplosivesproduceasubsonicdeflagrationwaveratherthanthesupersonicdetonationwaveproducedbybrisants,orhighexplosives.Thegasesproducedbyburninggunpowdergenerateenoughpressuretopropelabullet,butnotenoughtodestroythebarrelofafirearm.Thismakesgunpowderlesssuitableforshatteringrockorfortifications,wherehighexplosivessuchasTNTarepreferred.
Theterm"blackpowder"wascoinedinthelate19thcenturytodistinguishpriorgunpowderformulationsfromthenewsmokelesspowdersandsemi-smokelesspowders.(Semi-smokelesspowdersfeaturedbulkvolumepropertiesthatapproximatedblackpowderintermsofchamberpressurewhenusedinfirearms,buthadsignificantlyreducedamountsofsmokeandcombustionproducts;theyrangedincolorfrombrownishtantoyellowtowhite.Mostofthebulksemi-smokelesspowdersceasedtobemanufacturedinthe1920s.)[1][2][3]
Blackpowderisagranularmixtureof
anitrate—typicallypotassiumnitrate(KNO3)—whichsuppliesoxygenforthereaction;
charcoal,whichprovidesfuelforthereactionintheformofcarbon(C);
sulfur(S),which,whilealsoafuel,lowersthetemperatureofignitionandincreasesthespeedofcombustion.
Potassiumnitrateisthemostimportantingredientintermsofbothbulkandfunctionbecausethecombustionprocessreleasesoxygenfromthepotassiumnitrate,promotingtherapidburningoftheotheringredients.[4]Toreducethelikelihoodofaccidentalignitionbystaticelectricity,thegranulesofmodernblackpowderaretypicallycoatedwithgraphite,whichpreventsthebuild-upofelectrostaticcharge.
Thecurrentstandardcompositionforblackpowdermanufacturedbypyrotechnicianswasadoptedaslongagoas1780.Itis75%potassiumnitrate,15%softwoodcharcoal,and10%sulfur.[5]Theseratioshavevariedoverthecenturiesandbycountry,andcanbealteredsomewhatdependingonthepurposeofthepowder.Forinstance,coarsergradesofblackpowder,unsuitableforuseinfirearmsbutadequateforblastingrockinquarryingoperations,iscalledblastingpowderratherthangunpowder;itisoftenmadewiththecheapersodiumnitratesubstitutedforpotassiumnitrateinproportionsof60%nitrate,20%charcoaland20%sulfur.[citationneeded]
Theburnrateofblackpowdercanbechangedbycorning.Corningfirstcompressesthefineblackpowdermealintoblockswithafixeddensity(1.7g/cm³).Theblocksarethenbrokenupintogranules.Thesegranulesarethensortedbysizetogivethevariousgradesofblackpowder.IntheUnitedStates,standardgradesofblackpowderrunfromthecoarseFggradeusedinlargeboreriflesandsmallcann