gunpowder

Also known as black powder

AI overview

Gunpowder is a mixture of chemical substances that, when ignited, produces a rapid explosion and was historically the primary propellant used in firearms and cannons. It played a crucial role in military history and the development of weapons technology, particularly from its invention through the era of muzzle-loading firearms.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: explosive chemicals
Subclass of: propellant
Has part: potassium nitrate
Image: 2023 Czarny proch Vesuvit LC (3).jpg

Show 9 more facts

Commons category: Gunpowder
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
history of topic: history of gunpowder
different from: powder explosive
time of discovery or invention: 0900-00-00
P8168: Porthidium hespere
topic's main category: Category:Gunpowder
described by source: Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
discoverer or inventor: Berthold Schwarz

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~54 min read

Encyclopedic overview

25 sections

Contents

Effect
History
China
Middle East
Europe
India
Southeast Asia
Historiography
Components
Other compositions
Sulfur-free powders
Smokeless powders
Granularity
Serpentine
Corning
Modern types
Chemistry
Production
Legal status
Other uses
See also
Footnotes
Notes
References
External links

Gunpowder, commonly referred to as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels, while the saltpeter is an oxidizer. Gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms, artillery, rocketry, and pyrotechnics, including use as a blasting agent for explosives in quarrying, mining, building pipelines, tunnels, and roads.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “gunpowder” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.