Gun Cotton:

Back in 1832 Henry Braconnot working with nitric acid and woody fibers discovered that he had a combustible/explosive material he called xyloidine .. but years later, around 1846 Christian Friedrich Schönbein, a German-Swiss chemist, accidentally discovered a more practical material in his kitchen when he used his wife's cotton apron to mop-up some spilled mixed sulfuric & nitric acid from the kitchen table. - When drying the apron on the oven door he achieved a flash ignition - that directly lead to the development of GUN-COTTON. (Or so the story goes).

 - At least two others .. professors in Germany & USA 'discovered' this same process in that year.

Cotton Growing In Queensland In Special Irrigated Leveled Fields.

- I've read somewhere that the 'COTTON GIN' name is a corruption from engine.

Schonbein's preparation method was the first to be widely imitated—one part of fine cotton wool to be immersed in 15 parts of an equal blend of sulfuric and nitric acids. After two minutes - the cotton was removed and washed in cold water to remove all acid residue. It was then slowly dried at a temperature below 40°C .

Cotton Wool .. A Little Bit Of This - A Little Bit Of That ... KABOOM.

Cleaned & bleached cotton is 99% a cellulose polymer.- ready to be played with.

Keep your T-shirt on - unless it's really ready to be recycled ..

The power of gun cotton made it suitable for blasting. As a projectile propellant, it has around six times the gas generation of an equal volume of black powder - six times as powerful - and produces less smoke and less heating.

Bag Charges.

Early bags were made from raw silk. A 14 inch gun might Use Four Bags Of Powder.

Ramming Powder Charges Into Chamber On board 'IOWA'.

If You are interested in Artillery stuff - this link is all about 155 MM Howitzers use in Vietnam:

http://www.bravecannons.org/the_gun/munitions.html

Marty K.