Ballistite is a
smokeless propellant made from two
high explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An ...
s,
nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
and
nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating g ...
e. It was developed and patented by
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize, though he al ...
in the late 19th century.
Military adoption
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize, though he al ...
patented
[https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/list-of-alfred-nobels-patents/]Ballistite in 1887 while he was living in Paris. His formulation was composed of 10%
camphor
Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...
and equal parts
nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating g ...
e and
collodion
Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol. There are two basic types: flexible and non-flexible. The flexible type is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the skin, ...
.
The camphor reacted with any acidic products of the chemical breakdown of the two explosives. This both stabilized the explosive against further decomposition and prevented spontaneous explosions. However, camphor tends to evaporate over time, leaving a potentially unstable mixture.
Nobel's patent specified that the nitrocellulose should be "of the well-known soluble kind". He offered to sell the rights of the new explosive to the French government, but they declined, largely because they had just adopted
Poudre B for military use. He subsequently licensed the rights to the Italian government, which entered into a contract on 1 August 1889 to obtain of Ballistite; and Nobel opened a factory at
Avigliana
Avigliana (Piedmontese: ''Vijan-a'' ; French : ''Veillane'') is a town and '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region or Italy, with 12,480 inhabitants as of January 1, 2017. It lies about west of Turin ...
, Turin.
The Italian Army swiftly replaced their M1870 and M1870/87 rifles, which used
black powder
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, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...
cartridges, by the new M1890 Vetterli, which used ballistite cartridges.
As Italy was a competing
great power
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power i ...
to France, this was not received well by the French press and the public. The newspapers accused Nobel of industrial espionage, by spying on
Paul Vieille (the inventor of Poudre B), and "high treason against France". Following a police investigation, he was refused permission to conduct any more research, or to manufacture explosives in France. He therefore moved to
San Remo in Italy, in 1891, where he spent the last five years of his life.
Ballistite is still manufactured as a solid fuel rocket propellant, although the less volatile but chemically similar
diphenylamine
Diphenylamine is an organic compound with the formula (C6H5)2NH. The compound is a derivative of aniline, consisting of an amine bound to two phenyl groups. The compound is a colorless solid, but commercial samples are often yellow due to oxidiz ...
is used instead of camphor.
Development of cordite and unsuccessful claim by Nobel of patent infringement
Meanwhile, a government committee in Great Britain, called the "Explosives Committee" and chaired by Sir
Frederick Abel, monitored foreign developments in explosives. Abel and Sir
James Dewar
Sir James Dewar (20 September 1842 – 27 March 1923) was a British chemist and physicist. He is best known for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with research into the liquefaction of gases. He also studied a ...
, who was also on the committee, jointly patented a modified form of ballistite in 1889. This consisted of 58% nitroglycerin by weight, 37%
guncotton and 5%
petroleum jelly
Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin, or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons (with carbon numbers mainly higher than 25), originally promoted as a topical ointment for its h ...
. Using
acetone
Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour.
Acetone is miscibl ...
as a solvent, it was extruded as spaghetti-like rods initially called "cord powder" or "the committee's modification of ballistite", but this was soon abbreviated to
cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace black powder as a military propellant. Like modern gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burn ...
.
After unsuccessful negotiations, in 1893, Nobel sued Abel and Dewar over
patent infringement
Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may v ...
and lost the case.
[Schück & Sohlman, page 142] It then went to the
Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much ...
and the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
in 1895 where he also lost the two appeals and the Nobel's Explosives Company had to pay the costs.
[ The claim was lost because the words "of the well-known soluble kind" in his patent were taken to mean soluble ]collodion
Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol. There are two basic types: flexible and non-flexible. The flexible type is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the skin, ...
, and to specifically exclude the ether-alcohol-insoluble guncotton.[
]
References
;Notes
;Sources
*
*
{{Refend
Alfred Nobel
Explosives
Firearm propellants
Swedish inventions