Part 1 (2/2)

The number of compounds and e, and they are of very different che the substances that have been nitrated are:--Cellulose, under various forlycerine, benzene, starch, jute, sugar, phenol, wood, straw, and even such substances as treacle and horse-dung

Soe scale, others are but little used Those of lycerine and nitro-cellulose

The former enters into the composition of all dynamites, and several sun-cotton, collodion-cotton, nitrated wood, and the enerally of nitro-cotton, nitro-lignin, nitro-jute, &c &c, together with lycerine

The nitro-explosives consist generally of soroup, known as nitryl, has been substituted in place of hydrogen

Thus in glycerine,

|OH C_{3}H_{5}|OH, |OH

which is a tri-hydric alcohol, and which occurs very widely distributed as the alcoholic or basic constituent of fats, the hydrogen atohly explosive colycerine If one atom only is thus displaced, the mono-nitrate is formed thus,

|ONO_{2} C_{3}H_{5}|OH; |OH

and if the three atoms are displaced, C_{3}H_{5}(ONO_{2})_{3}, or the tri- nitrate, is forlycerine

Another class, the nitro-celluloses, are forroundwork of all vegetable tissues

Cellulose has some of the properties of the alcohols, and forms ethereal salts when treated with nitric and sulphuric acids The hexa-nitrate, or gun-cotton, has the formula, C_{12}H_{14}O_{4}(ONO_{2})_{6}; and collodion-cotton, pyroxylin, &c, form the lower nitrates, ie, the tetra- and penta-nitrates These last are soluble in various solvents, such as ether-alcohol and nitro-glycerine, in which the hexa-nitrate is insoluble They all dissolve, however, in acetone and acetic ether

The solution of the soluble varieties in ether-alcohol is known as collodion, which finds many applications in the arts The hydrocarbon benzene, C_{6}H_{6}, prepared froht oil obtained from coal-tar, when nitrated forms nitro-benzenes, such as mono-nitro-benzene, C_{6}H_{5}NO_{2}, and di-nitro-benzene, C_{6}H_{4}(NO_{2})_{2}, in which one and two atoroup The latter of these compounds is used as an explosive, and enters into the composition of such well-known explosives as roburite, &c The presence of nitro groups in a substance increases the difficulty of further nitration, and in any case not roups can be introduced into an aromatic coeneral forive, however, three series They are called ortho,upon the position of NO_{2} groups introduced

Certain regularities have been observed in the formation of nitro- compounds If, for exae quantities of the para compound are obtained, and very little of the ortho The substitution takes place, however, almost entirely in the roup be present Ordinary phenol, C_{6}H_{5}OH, gives para- and ortho-nitro-phenol; toluene gives para- and ortho-nitro-toluene; but nitro-benzene forms meta-di-nitro- benzene and benzoic acid, anic Chele, PhD]

If the graphic formula of benzene be represented thus (No 1), then the positions 1 and 2 represent the ortho, 1 and 3 the meta, and 1 and 4 the para compounds When the body phenol, C_{6}H_{5}OH, is nitrated, a compound is formed known as tri-nitro-phenol, or picric acid, C_{6}H_{2}(NO_{2})_{3}OH, which is used very extensively as an explosive, both as picric acid and in the form of picrates Another nitro body that is used as an explosive is nitro-naphthalene, C_{10}H_{6}(NO_{2})_{2}, in roburite, securite, and other explosives of this class The hexa-nitro- mannite, C_{6}H_{8}(ONO_{2})_{6}, is formed

[Illustration: No 1]

[Illustration: META-DINITRO-BENZENE No2]

by treating a substance known as mannite, C_{6}H_{8}(OH)_{6}, an alcohol forar and closely related to the sugars, with nitric and sulphuric acids It is a solid substance, and very explosive; it contains 1858 per cent of nitrogen

Nitro-starch has also been used for the manufacture of an explosive

Muhlhauer has described (_Ding Poly Jour_, 73, 137-143) three nitric ethers of starch, the tetra-nitro-starch, C_{12}H_{16}O_{6}(ONO_{2})_{4}, the penta- and hexa-nitro-starch They are for upon potato starch dried at 100 C with a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids at a temperature of 20 to 25 C Rice starch has also been used in its production Muhlhauer proposes to use this body as a smokeless powder, and to nitrate it with the spent lycerine This substance contains froen It is a white substance, very stable and soluble even in cold nitro-glycerine

The explosive bodies formed by the nitration of jute have been studied by Messrs Cross and Bevan and also by Muhlhauer The forive jute the formula C_{12}H_{18}O_{9}, and believe that its conversion into a nitro-co to the equation--

C_{12}H_{18}O_{9} + 3HNO_{3} = 3H_{2}O + C_{12}H_{15}O_(6}(NO_{3})_{3}

This is equivalent to a gain in weight of 44 per cent for the tri- nitrate, and 58 per cent for the tetra-nitrate The formation of the tetra-nitrate appears to be the limit of nitration of jute fibre Messrs Cross and Bevan say, ”In other words, if we represent the ligno-cellulose molecule by a C_{12} forroups, or two less than cellulose sien The jute nitrates resemble those of cellulose, and are in all essential points nitrates of ligno-cellulose

Nitro-jute is used in the composition of the well-known Cooppal Smokeless Powders Cross and Bevan are of opinion that there is no very obvious advantage in the use of lignified textile fibres as rawthat a nu cellulose (chiefly as cotton) can be obtained at from 10 to 25 a ton, and yield also 150 to 170 per cent of explosive ives 1544 per cent), and are in many ways superior to the products obtained froely used in the coood many of the smokeless powders, such as Schultze's, the Smokeless Powder Co's products, and others