Manual of EXPLOSIVES MILITARY PYROTECHNICS and CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS Composition - Properties - Uses BY JULES BEBIE, PH.D. Consulting Chemical Engineer « Professor af Chemical Technology Washington University THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - NEW YORK 1943Preface Itis the chief aim of this hook to be of service to scientifio end technical workers in the field of explosives and war chentivals and to students who are beginning to specialize in these subjects. In preparing for Engineers’ Defense Train- ing Courses in “The Chemistry of Powders and Explosives,” the author recognized the need for a book of this sort. ‘The nomenclature in the field of explosives and war chem- ioals is perplexing. Most of the chief explosives are known, under many different. names and designations, including the correct chemical name, chemical synonyms, American and foreign trade names, and warfare symbols. In literature on the subject sometimes one term is used, and sometimes another. Unless one knows the meaning of all of the terms, itis often necessary to make a search for information; and ‘hia, in the literature on explosives, is a time-consuming pro- cedure. For instance, in a technical article on detonators, a chemist. may find a reference to Dinol. He knows this is a ‘trade name; and if he does not know the chemical composi- tion of the product and wishes to find it out, he has to know its correct. chemical name. He may spend quite a bit of time before he establishes the fact that Dinol is the com- imercial term for dinitrodiazophenol. Or, in a scientific journal, a chemist may see a reference to the exceptionally high rate of detonation of cydlotri- methylenetrinitramine. If he wishes to know if this product is made and used under some trade name, how much time will he spend before he finds out that it is “Cydonite” for which he has been looking? For the purpose of providing information of this sort quickly, the author started to assemble a dictionary of ex- plosives and explosive mixtures, including all of the variousw PREFACE terms with cross references. ‘This arrangement was found whe very useful and time-saving; and it was later extended ‘to include some of the physical and chemical properties, particularly those which are of significance in connection with the application of the products as explosives. The final interest. to the worker in this field is the use of these explosives for industrial and military purposes. Explosives ‘ae often used in different forms and mixtures for various and specific effects, and here again the information is seat- tered, I was therefore decided to expand the dietionary to manual comprising composition, properties, and’ uses of industrial and military explosives and explosive faixtures. ‘The Hist also includes all other chemicals and thodifying agents which may be present in explosives and in kmmuni- tion, but it does not include raw materials which are used to manufacture these products. This arrangement makes it possible to find out quickly why and where certain chemicals find application in. the field of explosives for such purposes a1 deterrents, oxidizers, binding agents, fusion- and flash- Piint depressants, cooling agents, fuel components, gelali- Tizers, rust-preventing and coating agents, lubricants, ab- sorbents, ete, With no claim for completeness, an earnest effort has been ade to list all of the more important explosives, explosive nixtures, modifying and addition agents, and particnlarly those which are actually heing used or which have been wed as far back as World War I. Some of the older ex- Plosives and compositions have also heen included in order to give a picture of the gradual development of the field or Deeause they are of particular historic interest. Military pyrotechnies are closely connected with the field of military explosives; they are used in many special types of ammunition and munition and also in such devices as flares, rockets, and smoke pots. With the tremendous de- velopment of the military air forces the importance of obscuring smokes and incendiary activities bas been greatly