Gunpowder: Origins in the East

“Gunpowder,” as it came to be known, is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and charcoal. Together, these materials will burn rapidly and explode as a propellant.

Chinese monks discovered the technology in the 9th century CE, during their quest for a life-extending elixir. The key ingredient, saltpeter, had been in use by this same culture since the late centuries BCE for medicinal purposes. It was found to be incendiary and immediately applied to warfare.

The Mongols soon emerged as an ambitious and violent society, and their conquests and invasions acted as a vehicle by which gunpowder would spread to the rest of the world. It is documented that the technology had reached the Middle East by the 13th century CE, at which point traders as well as crusaders would have come into contact with it.

The main problem with gunpowder at this time was that the ingredients had to be measured properly in order for the mixture to ignite properly and explode. Thus, knowledge of the required materials was not so much the technology as was the knowledge of the formula.

Perfecting the formula can be noted as the first major landmark in technological development. The most effective ratio (very approximate) was believed to be 1 part sulfur: 3 parts charcoal: 9 parts saltpeter, according to 13th century Arabian documents. Sir Roger Bacon had been experimenting with something 29.5% sulfur, 29.5% charcoal, and 41% saltpeter, however it was eventually found that the best ratio was 10:15:75 (the modern formula). The next big improvement came when 14th century Europeans began adding liquid to the mixture, forming a paste that would dry and could be ground into balls––this came to be known as “corned powder.” This greatly increased the practicality of the primitive bombs and guns, as corned powder was more durable, reliable, and safe (the dried paste would insure that almost all of the ingredients would ignite at the same time and explode as one).

As the European powers emerged into the Early Modern Period, saltpeter came into high demand as the key tool for warfare, or the “commodity or empire,” as one author put it. The British and Dutch were the key players in this act (as France and Spain could self-sustain their saltpeter supply at this point). India was found to be rich in the demanded resources, and thus various overseas trading companies were established to further the European interest. Examples include the English East India Trading Company, the Dutch East India Company, the French ‘’Compagnie des Indes orientales’’, and the Prussian Bengal and Asiatic Companies. This competition must quickly be compared to the scramble for oil in the 19th and 20th centuries, and was the first time that an element of a technology caused the world to mobilize to such an extent.

Following the momentous changes that came with the advent of gunpowder, the societies of the world were each radically altered. The modern powers (in Europe) now fought differently on land and at sea, ancient cultures were proven obsolete (think: ‘’The Last Samurai’’ and the discovery of the New World), and transcontinental trade greatly intensified.

But with the coming of the Industrial Age there were other inventions: the science of agricultural, manufacturing and warfare related technologies were all at the fore. It was not long, then, before the technologies of explosives were advanced as well.

An Italian chemist named Ascanio Sobrero achieved the first such endeavor in 1847. He sought to create an explosive more powerful than gunpowder–which he did, although it seemed so unstable that he thought it impossible to continue working with.

A friend of Sobrero’s, a Swedish man named Alfred Nobel, took the formula back to Germany with him and coined his volatile substance nitroglycerin. Unfortunately, Nobel faced the direst of consequences when testing his new substance as he was met by disaster after disaster, culminating in the death of his brother and destruction of his factory. He eventually succeeded in his goal of creating something fairly stable, however, when he compounded the nitroglycerin with an adsorbent material (usually sawdust) and created dynamite. This was finally a safe and effective alternative to gunpowder, and Nobel patented it, “Blasting Powder,” in 1867.

TNT was developed around the same time as dynamite, however, it found its usefulness not due to its effectiveness, but rather its convenience. In 1863, a German chemist named Joseph Wilbrand was experimenting with new solutions of yellow dye and found one (trinitrotoluene) to be explosive–however, to such a small extent that it was far inferior as a weapon compared to available alternatives. This eventually played into its rise to popularity, as it could be poured into shells without risking accident. By the 20th century, both the German and British armed forces were heavily employing TNT based artillery for cannon and on board ships.

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