Green mix
Encyclopedia
Green mix is an early step in the manufacturing of black powder for explosives. It is a rough mixture of potassium nitrate
, charcoal
and sulfur
in the correct proportions (75:15:10) for black powder, but is not milled, pressed or corned. It burns
much more slowly than black powder, when it chooses to burn at all; the deflagration
is usually characterized by short, uneven sizzling followed by relatively long periods of smoulder. Green mix is merely an unfinished product and not generally used itself in any pyrotechnic or projectile
applications.
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
, charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
and sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
in the correct proportions (75:15:10) for black powder, but is not milled, pressed or corned. It burns
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
much more slowly than black powder, when it chooses to burn at all; the deflagration
Deflagration
Deflagration is a term describing subsonic combustion that usually propagates through thermal conductivity; hot burning material heats the next layer of cold material and ignites it. Most "fire" found in daily life, from flames to explosions, is deflagration...
is usually characterized by short, uneven sizzling followed by relatively long periods of smoulder. Green mix is merely an unfinished product and not generally used itself in any pyrotechnic or projectile
Projectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
applications.