Compressed Air Work And Diving 1909
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CHAPTER X.
Rock Biasting.
I iie modern commercial explosive consists of two parts,
nitro-glycerine, which is the explosive or active part, and
an absorbing substance which is usually inert. The force
of nitro-glycerine exists in the nitric acicl which “ nitrates ”
the glycerine, and which can also impart its explosive
character to other inert substances such as cotton, sugar,
wood fibre, and most vegetable substances.
Nitric acid is manufactured by distillation from nitrate
of soda (saltpetre), which is largely imported into this
country from South America.* The distilling is done by
sulphuric acicl manufactured from cuprous iron pyrites
mined in Spain. The sulphuric acid cloes not itself
possess any explosive character. Its function is to
absorb the water from the products of reaction when the
nitric acicl is mixed with the glycerine.
Nitro-glycerine thus manufactured is a liquid, and in
this State was formerly usecl for biasting. Its extreme
sensitiveness to shock, however, caused so many disasters
that in this country its use in an unabsorbed State has
been prohibitecl. When, however, it is in an absorbed
State it becomes quite safe. Thus if a piece of blotting
paper be soaked in nitro-glycerine, and then struck,
it will explocle, but only at the point where hit by
* “Book of High Explosives,” Nobel’s Explosives Co.
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