COMMON NAME – Guncotton (13.4% Nitrogen)

NAME – Nitrocellulose

CHEMICAL NAME – Cellulose Nitrate

FOREIGN NAMES – Coton-poudre (Belgium), Trioksilin (Bulgaria), Coton-collodion, Coton-nitre, Coton-poudre, Fulmicoton (France),

Kollodiumwolle, Nitrozellulosepulver, Schiessbaumwolle, Schieswolle (Germany), Fulmicotone, Coton fulminante (Italy), Menyaku (Japan),

Piroksilin, Khlopchatobumazhnyy poroke (Soviet Union), Algodón pólvor, Fulmicotón (Spain), Bomukhskrut (Sweden)

TYPE – High explosive

DATE OF DISCOVERY – 1845

DATE FIRST USED AS AN EXPLOSIVE – 1869

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Germany

MOLECULAR FORMULA – C₁₂H₁₄ N₆O₂₂

MOLECULAR WEIGHT – 324

DENSITY – 1.20 g per ml (wet, pressed)

NORMAL STATE – Fibrous solid

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE/COLOR – White

INITIATION – 0.10 g Lead azide. Booster [Primer] (1 oz Dry Guncotton) required to detonate wet guncotton

SENSITIVITY – Very sensitive to impact, friction, heat, and spark when dry, detonates when struck with a 7.62mnm (30 cal.) rifle bullet

STABILITY – Relatively unstable in pure form, Stable when stored wet (8 to 30% Water) at room temperature

DETONATION VELOCITY – 5,532 m/s (18,150 fps) Wet, 7,343 m/s (24,090 fps) Dry

RE FACTOR (BRISANCE) [TNT=1.0] – 0.92 (wet), 1.18 (dry)

TOXICITY – Contact is irritating to the skin and eyes, toxic long-term effects after exposure

IGNITION POINT – 195^o to 200­^o C.(383^o to 392^o F.) Ignites, 230^o C.(446^o F.) Explodes

SOLUBILITY – Insoluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol, soluble in acetone, ether-alcohol

APPLICATIONS – PRINCIPLE USES – Demolition charges, component of propellants

     Guncotton, commonly called Nitrocellulose, is made from the nitration of purified cotton fibers with Nitric and Sulfuric acids. Nitrocellulose generally has a lower percentage of Nitrogen in the molecule and is used as a basis for smokeless propellants. Guncotton is considered a high explosive and has a 13.4 % or greater Nitrogen content. The basic material has been used for everything from bandages, photographic plates, movie film, magician’s flash paper, and even artificial flowers.  Guncotton is safest when used in the wet condition. The standard British Guncotton demolition charge is a slab of 87% Guncotton and 13% Water – 0.54 kg (19 oz) Guncotton to 0.09 kg (3 oz) water. Care is taken in storage and handling that the metal container holding 14 slabs does not get damaged and the contents dry out. If wetted with 30% moisture, Guncotton cannot be made to detonate. Normally wet guncotton can be handled easily and detonated with a cap and primer charge. Dry Guncotton is extremely dangerous to handle.