Chem+A+D+Per+Group+2

=      = =    = Gunpowder was discovered in China, assumedly by Alchemists experimenting with sulfurous mixes- to create an elixir of life- sometime during the Sui and Tang dynasties around 600-900 AD. It was originally made by mixing together sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate; the charcoal usually came from a willow tree, although other trees could have been used. Once all ingredients were carefully ground together, the resulting powder was called serpentine. Prior to use, the serpentine required a remixing, so there was usually water, wine or another liquid added to the powder to decrease the danger of sparks resulting from the remixing. After the Serpentine was mixed with a liquid was then pushed through a screen and left to dry in pellets. Gunpowder was originally used as a propellant for fireworks because of its explosive properties.  By the 1200s, seven factories that produced 21,000 bombs a day and 7,000 rockets were operated by a Chinese Bureau of Munitions. The invention of the "thunder-crash bomb", using gunpowder as its main component, was unleashed on Mongol troops attacking the capital of the north Chinese Jin Empire, Kaifeng, in 1232. In the later years of the thirteenth century, cannons were also fabricated. The first recorded use of gunpowder in the European military system passed at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Although the English "firepots" had little impact on the outcome of the battle, this was the beginning of a weapon that had become "... as common and familiar as any other kind of arms." The Turks also embraced gunpowder using it greatly during their siege on Constantinople in 1453. In order to prepare for their attack, the Turks hired a European artesian to create seven large cannons that could fire stone balls up to one mile in distance.  ** The Chemistry of Gunpowder ** Gunpowder is a low explosive that burns at the speed of five hundred meters per second. When mixed together, saltpeter and charcoal absorb the surfaces of the sulfur granules. Sulfur is the primer in this reaction. Saltpeter serves as the oxidizer because of its large oxygen content, and charcoal absorbs the oxygen. This mixture is set off either by impact, sparks, friction, or flame. The chemical reaction is as shown:  => K(2)S + N(2) + 3 CO(2) + 685 calories (heat) + 11 Joules (K.E.) 2 KNO(3) + S + C =  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: #030202; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fafafa">  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: #030202; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fafafa"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">media type="youtube" key="D6j5vlWNQc8&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" = <span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: #030202; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fafafa"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">    = = <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: #030202; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fafafa"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Works Cited:       = =<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://www.pyrouniverse.com/history.htm   <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; COLOR: #0013ff; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left">  <span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: #030202; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fafafa"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">        <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; COLOR: #0013ff; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://chemistry.about.com/od/historyofchemistry/a/gunpowder.htm     = =<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://www.timelineindex.com/content/view/1119   <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 70%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="COLOR: #ffebf9; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #918d8d"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://www3.flamingtext.com/net-fu/jobs/175209168.html    = <span style="COLOR: #030202; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fafafa"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">
 * [[image:http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/images/d/d7/Gunpowder-1.jpg width="309" height="213" align="left" caption="Different Types of Gun Powder and Pellets"]]Origins of Gunpowder ** <span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt; BACKGROUND: #fafafa; COLOR: #030202; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">