Quote:
Originally Posted by TGS
Isn't it also used in the manufacture of gunpowder?
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Yes. Gunpowder's made from Saltpeter, Sulphur and Charcoal.
My (older) brothers looked up how to make gunpowder in an old Encyclopaedia Britannica, got the Saltpeter and Flowers of Sulphur from the local chemist, and mixed up some themselves. All good fun, laying powder trails and seeing how fast they'd burn, until they decided to see what happened if they put some in a hole in the ground. The result (unsurprisingly) was a rather loud explosion. It was the visit by a policeman that evening, who explained that the manufacture of gunpowder without a licence was illegal that put a stop to the experimentation....