Pyrocollodion is a

smokeless powder Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...

invented by

Dmitri Mendeleev Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (sometimes transliterated as Mendeleyev or Mendeleef) ( ; russian: links=no, Дмитрий Иванович Менделеев, tr. , ; 8 February Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._27_January.html" ;"title="O ...

. A variant of

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 ...

family of compounds, it was discovered by

in 1892. He and proposed its use as a replacement for

gunpowder 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). ...

in the Russian Navy. This offer was rejected because of cost and efficiency. Pyrocollodion is known to be spontaneously combustible and

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 expl ...

. When ignited Pyrocollodion will burn and explode quickly with excessive heat output compared to the existing gunpowders of the time. Pyrocollodion was a reasonable choice or option at the time for military munitions use. If ignited in a tight contained space, Pyrocollodion will leave little to no remnants, such as unburned powder, particular kinds of flame scarring, or smoke of any kind.

External links

Smokeless powder, nitro-cellulose, and theory of the cellulose molecule

References

* Dmitri Mendeleev Firearm propellants 1892 introductions Russian inventions {{-