Making Guncotton AKA Nitrocellulose
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- čas přidán 25. 12. 2023
- Nitrating organic material is almost always done using a mix of sulfuric and nitric acids. Depending on the material being nitrated the result can be very flammable all the way up to dangerously explosive. Nitrocellulose, or nitrating cellulose, in this case cotton, results in an almost pure flammable substance. Also known as guncotton due to its use in firearms, especially in WWI.
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This video is strictly for demonstration purposes only. - Věda a technologie
There were at least a few incidents of billiard balls exploding. You’re exactly right about why they stopped making them from nitrocellulose. The history of industrial nitrocellulose production is both fascinating and terrifying. There are several jurisdictions in Europe where producing it on a large scale is explicitly forbidden due to major explosions.
"was forbidden". Process for stabilizing NC by Paul Vieille made it possible.
I had the "luck" of talking to a plant manager in France. The guy was totally clueless about the chemistry and to be honest, it angered me someone so ignorant about chemistry could be in such position.
props to the pronunciation of Schönbein.
You nailed those Umlaute.
Thanks much! Name pronunciation is a big deal to me, but I don't know why exactly.
Man, your videos just keep getting better and better. I expect that your channel will go far and become very popular. You've already surpassed my channel in subscribers and you keep getting more and more. You show us that we can do all of this ourselves and that we can do some really cool stuff given that we have the right information. Thanks for keeping science and chemistry alive and for sharing your experiences with us so that we may kearn from them as well. Keep up the great work! 😃
That's a truly humble comment. I wish you the best! Thank you for your continued support, it doesn't go unnoticed.
Subscribed for "Correctly pronouncing a German Umlaut as an American".
Thank you!
Only tri-nitrocellulose is a guncotton.
That simply is not true. It is usual expressed as percent nitration or soluble/insoluble. Nitration above 12% is undesirable for actual use in gunpowder. The higher nitrations were primarily used for blasting. Gun powder burns and explosion will damage the weapon.
@@lrmackmcbride7498 That’s what I read in Urbański - Technology of Explosives. Mononitro and dinitro is used for lacquers. Trinitro for smokeless powder.
@@lrmackmcbride7498 moreover. It’s not used for blasting, it makes little sense. In ammo speed of burn is determined by size of the grain and additions like nitroguanadine and nitroglycerin.
@@mandra3768 it was used for blasting over a century ago but only in 13+ percent forms. It is still used as a component in some composites but it isn't used by itself for anything but single based powders which don't explode. The other uses are generally less than 10% nitration which is not explosive.
What would it take to make it not just burn swiftly and vigorously, but go boom?
Confinement and a higher percentage of nitration. To get to the magic 13% nitration is not easy. You have to do a separate treatment. Use fuming nitric in the nitrating mixture and heat but it causes the nitrocellulose to degrade a good bit. So you get less product but it is a true explosive and not just fast burning.
A higher concentration of nitrogen in the cotton. Above around 13-14%.
I like the part where you find out about an explosive compound by wearing ignited gun-cotton :-) Merry christmas to you.
and in case you wonder, I still like the video after I watched it completely
Thank you! Yes, that must have been the scene. Merry Christmas (belated) to you also!
Hey bro great video! Deos that also work with a 1 to 1 ratio of nitric acid and sulfuric acid? And is it safe to save the nitration bath if you seperate the cotton or did the acids go bad?
Yes, you can use a 1 to 1 mix but the timing is different, and you're wasting some nitric acid typically. The acids don't go bad, but their ability to nitrate drops with each subsequent use.
@@cranialconstruction2218 thanks a lot dude
Saying nitrocellulose is guncotton is like saying all double base propellants are cordite ;)
But I get you, sometimes it's easier to say guncotton then give a big explanation.
About the billiard balls, I read somewhere Celluloid "helped save" rhinos, their horns being used for balls. But at that time, the NC used was with a very high N % and would actually sometimes "crackle" loud enough when hitting other balls for people to draw out their guns (US obviously).
About the acid addition: come on man ! This is not necessary. Just put your acids in the fridge then mix the desired amount in the ice bath.
You're not gonna get NOx from such a tiny amount. 6 c is nothing when mixing acids. Start worrying when you get 10 times that.
Also, what you did when you dumped the NC in the cold water is dangerous. You should use a lot more water and NOT take it out like you did before really giving it a *really* good swirl.
Said by someone who had NC self ignite in his gloved hand doing exactly what you did. The exotherm was enough. Good thing I was wearing face protection ;)
TNT BOOM 💥 😅😂😂😂
Explosive nitrocellulose is 13% or more nitrogen. While soluble nitrocellulose is 12% or less nitrogen. While there is at least one recorded incident of an exploding pool ball, they are not really explosive because making the nitrocellulose explosive means it is really not suited for casting pool balls. Additionally using less nitric and sulfuric acid at lower temperatures meant it was cheaper to make and less flammable. So while not exactly a myth, an exploding pool ball was exceedingly rare.
I heard it was more crackling than a real explosion and that is somehow more likely. Also, I'm not sure around the time those incidents happened they were using dilute acids to get to a desired N %
NC will always be soluble, you just have to use the right solvent with the N% you got which can actually help the amateur chemist determine what he has made. Non nitrated cellulose will of course not dissolve in the solvents you would use.
@@herrhaber9076 soluble nitrocellulose refers specifically to an ethanol ether mixture. It of course is more soluble in acetone but the more nitrated stuff is less soluble. Nitrocellulose is still used in guitar picks, fingernail polish and ping pong balls. To reach the explosive level requires first treating the cotton then a second treatment in fuming nitric nitrating mix and heating. You will lose a good percentage of your product as oxalic acid. It simply wasn't done for cheap consumer products. Azeotropic nitric acid is normally used for making gun cotton and as well as it burns it is usually 12% or less and it still requires a good surface area to burn and does not readily explode. Hence the use as gunpowder which needs a controlled burn to not damage the gun.
@@lrmackmcbride7498 Pssst, I read Davis or Urbanski to pass time ;)
I could imagine someone goofing the process by nitrating the cellulose more than needed