Re: Black powder

Tom, I did not conceive of my response to Rob as a defense of Harry.

I don't believe Harry claims to be an authority about ball milling and
indeed recall that he indicated that he does not own a ball mill. His
opinions about ball milling have to be evaluated accordingly. Scaliger
complained nearly five hundred years ago that the printing press had
enabled everyone to write and publish books without requiring any of
them to think before so doing. What do you suppose he'd have said
about the Internet?

On Apr 2, 5:34 pm, fargow...@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Apr 2, 4:32 pm, mikes2653 <mikes2...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



That sulphur will not react pyrotechnically with charcoal by itself
does not rule out the possibility that it might function as a
secondary oxidizer in black powder. Bear in mind that saltpetre mixed
with sulphur alone will scarcely sustain combustion, and no one
disputes that saltpetre is an oxidizer.

Whether a redox reaction is pyrotechnic depends on its thermodynamics.
Aluminum gives off enough heat in burning that it can sustain a
reaction in which iron oxide is the oxidizer, as we see in thermite.
Carbon does not give off enough heat, and so its redox reaction with
iron oxide must be sustained by an outside supply of heat, as we see
in the smelting of iron ore.

In black powder the saltpetre is obviously the primary oxidizer, but
some of black powder's reaction products suggest that sulphur is not
only a fuel but that it (or one of its compounds intermediary in the
reaction) functions as a secondary oxidizer as well. How else do we
end up with potassium polysulphide, K2Sx, in the solid products of
combustion? Its presence is easily shewn by the evolution of hydrogen
sulphide when those products are mixed with an acid. If you want an
effective demonstration, try washing fired black powder cartridge
cases in vinegar. If sulphur served purely as a fuel, one would not
expect this, since it would all be oxidized and dissipated in the
gaseous products as SO2.

On Apr 2, 3:22 pm, robg...@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

On Apr 1, 8:53 pm, "hhc...@xxxxxxxxx" <hhc...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In this particular situaotin, its sulfur being milled with charcoal,
an that is a very dangerous combination. at least for me.

Many newbies don't realize the days long forgotten when a mixure
consisting of only sulfur and zinc dust fueled our early  rockets.
Cutting to the bottom line, the role of sulfur as an oxidiser should
not be ignored.

So go ahead, try to ignite a confined charcoal-sulfur mixture.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mike,

No one is disputing the ability of sulfur to function as an oxidizer
in certain chemical reactions; the question was (and still is) Harry's
declaration that ball milling a combination of sulfur and charcoal is
too dangerous for him. This from a man who once spoke plainly of his
experiments with Armstrong's Mixture. This from an "expert" who thinks
BP is dark gray with "tinges of yellow."  You yourself answer the
question in your very first sentence and then dedicate the remainder
of your effort to providing H.C. with yet another bit of rhetorical
(and mostly gratuitous) cover.

Does defending the indefensible somehow amount, over time, to a
virtue?  Harry's public proclamations of fealty to you not
withstanding, is there no sordid excursion of his that doesn't finally
warrant your opprobrium?

Cradling the wanton might now and then seem a kindness even as long-
term there's no finer way of breeding a monster.

Tom C.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Zinc/sulfur ozidisers and atfe
    ... its own oxidizer. ... reactions in which the typical reaction description used the behavior of oxygen as a reference. ... IIRC, sulfur is the oxidizer when reacted with zinc fuel, but when sulfur is burned in oxygen, oxygen is the oxidizer and sulfur the "fuel". ... Not all explosives involve redox reactions. ...
    (rec.models.rockets)
  • Re: Burn rate of ammonium perchlorate based mixtures.
    ... I think that quick burning and ease of burning with saltpetre as ... oxidizer has much to do with its low m.p. ... Ammonium perchlorate's pattern of decomposition may have something to ... seems to me that there would be little or no liquid phase reaction ...
    (rec.pyrotechnics)
  • Re: Burn rate of ammonium perchlorate based mixtures.
    ... decomposition is relevant over the entire course of the reaction. ... whether the sum [(heat of decomposition of oxidizer in Kcal/mole X ... pyrotechnics is rather remote from everyday application, ...
    (rec.pyrotechnics)
  • Re: Black powder
    ... That sulphur will not react pyrotechnically with charcoal by itself ... secondary oxidizer in black powder. ... disputes that saltpetre is an oxidizer. ... Whether a redox reaction is pyrotechnic depends on its thermodynamics. ...
    (rec.pyrotechnics)