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Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon ), and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels while the saltpeter is an oxidizer.
Gunpowder is the first explosive to have been developed. Popularly listed as one of the "Four Great Inventions" of China, it was invented during the late Tang dynasty (9th century) while the earliest recorded chemical formula for gunpowder dates to the Song dynasty (11th century).
May 22, 2024 · gunpowder, any of several low-explosive mixtures used as propelling charges in guns and as blasting agents in mining. The first such explosive was black powder , which consists of a mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), sulfur , and charcoal .
Jun 6, 2019 · Gunpowder or black powder is of great historical importance in chemistry. Although it can explode, its principal use is as a propellant. Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists in the 9th century. Originally, it was made by mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter ( potassium nitrate ).
During this period, gunpowder weaponry transformed from slow, crude, and unreliable incendiary devices to effective and essential military hardware that was produced in abundance and distributed to a rapidly increasing number of infantry troops working on behalf of the state.
Feb 20, 2019 · Updated on February 20, 2019. Chinese Taoist alchemists were the major force behind the early invention of gunpowde r. Emperor Wu Di (156-87 BCE) of the Han dynasty financed research done by the alchemists on the secrets of eternal life.
Military technology - Gunpowder, Revolution, 1300-1650: Few inventions have had an impact on human affairs as dramatic and decisive as that of gunpowder. The development of a means of harnessing the energy released by a chemical reaction in order to drive a projectile against a target marked a watershed in the harnessing of energy to human needs.
