Journal . describe at any length the manifold purposes ofall the substances produced from the carbonisation of coal,but it may be of interest to mention a few of the most importantones. From coal tar some 200 different bodies have been sepa-rated, and from these again many thousands of medicinalproducts, explosives, dyes, perfumes and photographic materialshave been obtained. Explosives. To begin with, these substances which have been of suchparamount importance during the great War, are mostly obtainedfrom coke oven and gas works sources. This applies not onlyto the explosive hydrocarbons the
Journal . describe at any length the manifold purposes ofall the substances produced from the carbonisation of coal,but it may be of interest to mention a few of the most importantones. From coal tar some 200 different bodies have been sepa-rated, and from these again many thousands of medicinalproducts, explosives, dyes, perfumes and photographic materialshave been obtained. Explosives. To begin with, these substances which have been of suchparamount importance during the great War, are mostly obtainedfrom coke oven and gas works sources. This applies not onlyto the explosive hydrocarbons themselves, but also to theammonia compounds which are mixed with them. Benzene isconverted by treatment with heat, acid, and alkalies, into thewell-known explosive picric acid or tri-nitro-phenol, as it ismore correctly called. This is the explosive forming lyddite,so called from Lydd in Kent, where it was first made. Toluene also is the starting substance for the manufacture of COAL AND ITS BY-PRODUCTS. 167. s o o . — — «;C/3 O w1^ 168 COAL AND ITS BY-PRODUCTS. the most important explosive called trytol, or , the propername of which is tri-nitro-toluene. It should be understood that these hydrocarbons are ofexplosive value because of the enormous store of pent up energythey contain in the carbon and hydrogen of which they arecomposed. Of themselves they are not explosive; indeed,they may easily be burned whilst held in the hand, but whenother substances containing large quantities of oxygen are mixedwith them and detonated, the rate of combination of the hydro-carbons and the oxygen is so rapid and violent that enormouslocal pressure is set up and explosion occurs. The energyliberated when such substances are exploded is truly is stated that from the explosion of 1 lb. of picric acid thereis liberated enough energy to raise a weight of over a ton to aheight of more than 100 yards. The substance most commonlyemployed to provide the oxygen is ammonium nitrat
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