Barutni dim

Sulfur and charcoal act as fuels, while the saltpeter is an oxidizer. The standard composition for gunpowder made by pyrotechnicians is 75% potassium nitrate, 15% softwood charcoal and 10% sulfur, a ratio adopted as long ago as 1780. These ratios have varied over the centuries and by country.

The products of burning do not follow any simple equation. Gaseous products measured in burnt black powder include carbon dioxide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. Gunpowder produces a lot of smoke, which can impair vision on a battlefield or reduce the visibility of fireworks. Smokeless powder produces less smoke and less fouling than black powder when fired. Smokeless powder is not completely free of smoke: there may be little noticeable smoke from small-arms ammunition, but smoke from artillery fire can be substantial.

The saltpeter supplies the oxygen that makes the fuels burn fast, whereas carbon in an ordinary fire must draw oxygen from the air. Changing the ratio of the ingredients alters the burn rate and the amount of smoke produced. In corning, fine powder is compressed into blocks that are broken into granules and sorted by size, and the coarser the grains, the slower the powder burns. Fired black powder converts less than half of its mass to gas, and the rest ends up as a thick layer of soot inside the barrel. The smoke can obscure the target and reveal the position of the shooter.

Cade oil is the essential oil obtained through destructive distillation of the wood of Juniperus oxycedrus. It is a dark, aromatic oil with a strong smoky smell. It is used in some cosmetics and traditional skin treatment drugs, and in incense. Birch bark tar is a substance made by dry distillation of birch tree bark. At the turn of the twentieth century it became a specialty fragrance material in perfumery, a base note that gives a leathery, smoky note. Birch bark tar is mainly composed of triterpenoid compounds of the lupane and oleanane family, with betulin and lupeol as its most characteristic molecules. Russia leather, a water-resistant leather oiled with birch bark oil after tanning, had a distinctive and pleasant aroma that was seen as a mark of quality.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Related: Akigalawood · Ambrocenide · Asphalt · Burnt Match · Charred Wood · Cigarette · Coal · Cuban Cigar