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Fulminating Powder

Powder separately 3 parts nitre, 2 parts dry (see No. the contents must be hastily transferred, with- 2065) carbonate of potash, and 1 flowers of out breaking, to a wide-mouthed stoppered sulphur; mix them together carefully. If 20 phial, when, after some time, it will crumble grains of this compound are slowly heated on down into a powder of itself. Or: Triturate a shovel over the fire, it melts and becomes together, very carefully, 100 parts antimony, brown, exploding with a loud report. 75 parts carburetted (roasted to blackness) 2137. New Explosive Compound. cream of tartar, and 12 parts lampblack; pre- B. G. Amend has observed that glycerine serve it in phials. When the above processes mixed with crystallized permanganate of potasare properly conducted, the resulting powders sa in a mortar spontaneously deflagrates. fulminate violently on contact with water. 2138. Priming for Percussion Caps. It is to the presence of the very inflammable To make this compound 100 grains of fulminmetal potassium that they owe this property. ating ng mercury are triturated with a wooden Another compound, made with 60 parts of muller on marble, with 30 grains of water and carburetted cream of tartar, 120 bismuth, and 60 grains of gunpowder. This is sufficient for 1 of nitre, treated as above, contains an alloy 400 caps. Dr. Ure recommends a solution of very rich in potassium. A piece the size of a gum mastich in turpentine as a medium for pea introduced into a mass of gunpowder ex- attaching the fulminate to the cap. plodes it on being thrown into water.