802 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. April 18, 1913. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Super-Excellite consists of the following mixture:— Ingredients. Parts by weight. r~ Not more Not less than than 5 3'5 77 735 8 6’5 4 2 11 9 1-5 .. — contained in a Nitro-glycerine.......... Nitrate of ammonium.... Nitrate of potassium .... Woodmeal (dried at 100 degs. Cent.) .......... Oxalate of ammonium.... Moisture................ The explosive may be used only when case of paper thoroughly waterproofed with paraffin wax; with a detonator or electric detonator of not less strength than that known as No. 7f; the greatest weight of the explosive which may be used in any one shot-hole shall not exceed 10 oz.; the explosive shall have been made at the works of Messrs. Curtis’s and Harvey Limited, at Cliffe, in the county of Kent. Superite consists of the following mixture :— Parts by weight. Ingredients. 2 5 2 contained in a detonator or electric detonator Nitro-glycerine.......... Nitrate of ammonium .... Nitrate of potassium .... Starch (dried at lOOdegs. Cent.) ................ Moisture................ The explosive may be used only when case of stout paper thoroughly waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin wax, ceresine wax, resin and mineral oil; with a of not less strength than that known as No. 7f; the greatest weight of the explosive which may be used in any one shot-hole shall not exceed 10 oz.; the explo- sive shall have been made at the works of the Carbonite Syndicate Limited, at Schlebusch, in Germany. Super-Kolax consists of the following mixture :— Parts by weight. The explosive may be used only when case of paper thoroughly waterproofed with paraffin been formed where the earth’& crust had become wax; with a detonator or electric detonator of not less folded, squeezing the layers of carbonaceous matter strength than that known as No. 6*; the greatest weight terrifically. of the explosive which may be used in any one shot-hole The following table gives Dr. Bergius’ results in shall not exceed 12 oz.; the explosive shall have been experiments on the formation of coal (analysis stated on made at the works of British Westfalite Limited, at ash-free substance):— Denaby, in the county of York. | In each case the explosive is required to be similar in i every respect to the sample submitted to test; each ! cartridge has to be marked with the charge limite or J maximum charge; the outer package must bear the i words “ as defined in the List of Permitted Explosives,” and the inner package must be clearly marked with a number of detonator required to be used, the name of | jry 8Ubstanoe non-waterproofed wrapper of parchment paper ; with a the explosive, the name of the manufacturer, date and Peat...............__ Ingredients. Not more Not less than than 26 5 ... 245 26 5 ... 24'5 6 4 8 6 28 26 6 2 Nitro-glycerine.......... Nitrate of potassium ......... Nitrate of barium........ Oxalate of ammonium.... Wood-meal (dried at 100 degs. Cent.) .......... Starch (dried at lOOdegs. Cent ) ................ Moisture................ The explosive may be used only when contained in 8 4 Name of explosive. Manufacturers. Detonator. Greatest weight in one shot-hole. Swing to ballistic pendulum. No. Oz In. Ammonite No. 2 Miners’ Safety Explosive Company Limited 6 10 ; 1-99 Bellite No. 2 Lancashire Explosives Company Limited i 7 32 242 Bellite No. 4 Ditto ditto 7 12 | 2 72 Cambrite Nobel’s Explosives Company Limited 6 30 1'98 Dreadnought Powder Roburite Explosives Company Limited ! 7 32 205 Dynob<4 Nobel’s Explosives Company Limited 6 22 2'61 Essex Powder Explosives and Chemical Products Limited 6 38 2 17 Haylite No. 1 National Explosives Company Limited 6 10 2'18 Kentite British Westfalite Limited 6 18 2 64 Melling Powder Cotton Powder Company Limited 6 12 2'62 Neonal New Explosives Company Limited 6 16 2'56 Nitro-Densite Kynoch-Arklow Limited 6 28 1'47 Pit-ite No. 2 New Explosives Company Limited 6 32 2'15 Stanford Powder Miners’ Safety Explosives Company Limited 6 : 12 2 12 Super-Excellite Curtis’s and Harvey Limited 7 10 2'74 Superite Carbonite Syndicate Limited 7 10 2 53 Super-Kolax Curtis’s and Harvey Limited 6 30 2 10 Syndite Carbonite Syndicate Limited 7 40 2 22 Uplees Powder Cotton Powder Company Limited 7 16 2’64 Westfalite No. 3 British Westfalite Limited 6 12 2'55 detonator or electric detonator of not less strength than place of manufacture, and the nature and proportion of that known as No. 6*; the greatest weight of the explo- the ingredients. sive which may be used in any one shot-hole shall not! The Schedule, in addition, records the swing to the exceed 30 oz. J ; the explosive shall have been made at the ballistic pendulum given by 4 oz. of each explosive, works of Messrs. Curtis’s and Harvey Limited, at Cliffe,' in the county of Kent. Syndite consists of the following mixture:— Parts by weight. Ingredients. Not more than Not less than Nitro-glycerine 12 10 Collodion cotton 0 3 .. 0T Glycerine Starch (dried at lOOdegs. 5 2 Cent.) 5 2 Nitrate of ammonium ... 49 45 Nitrate of sodium 9 - S Chloride of sodium 28 26 Moisture 2 — The explosive may be used only when contained in a case of stout paper thoroughly waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin wax, ceresine wax, resin and mineral oil; with a detonator or electric detonator of not less * t t $ee footnotes on previous page. strength than that known as No. 7f; the greatest weight of the explosive which may be used in any one shot-hole shall not exceed 40 oz.J ; the explosive shall have been made at the works of the Carbonite Syndicate Limited, at Schlebusch, in Germany. Uplees Powder consists of the following mixture :— Parts by weight. Not more than 45 84 11 Not less than 3'5 80 9 Ingredients. r Not more Not less than than Nitrate of ammonium ... 65 62 Tri-nitro-toluol 6 4 Chloride of ammonium... 15 13 Nitrate of sodium 14'5 . 12'5 Starch (dried at 100 degs. Cent.) 4 2 Moisture 1'5 . .. — The explosive may be used only when contained in a stout case of paper thoroughly waterproofed with a mixture of ceresine and resin; with a detonator or electric detonator of not less strength than that known as No. 7f; the greatest weight of the explosive which j may be used in any one shot-hole shall not exceed 16 oz.; the explosive shall have been made at the works of the Cotton Powder Company Limited, at Uplees Marshes, | near Faversham, in the county of Kent, or at their works I near Melling, in the county of Lancaster. Westfalite No. 3 consists of the following mixture :— Parts by weight. Ingredients. r" Not more Not less than than Nitrate of ammonium .... 61 58 Nitrate of potassium .... 15 13 Chloride of ammonium . 22 20 Tri-nitro-toluol 6 4 Moisture 1 — contained in compared with a swing of 3'27 in. given by 4 oz. of gelignite containing 60 per cent, of nitro-glycerine- These figures and some of the foregoing particulars are tabulated above. * t ‘ t See footnotes on previous page. ____________________________ Hull Goal Exports.—The official return of the exports of coal from Hull for the week ending Tuesday, April 8, 1913 is as follows :—Antwerp, 1,182 tons; Amsterdam, 373 ; Abo, 502 ; Assens, 2,096; Bandholm, 1,790; Beira, 20; Brindisi, 3,411; Bilbao, 1,301; Bordeaux, 1,456; Bremen, 2 514; Copenhagen, 101; Cagliari, 3,139; Christiania, 1,260; Drontheim, 308; Danzig, 494; Gothenburg. 416; Harlingen, 1,209; Hamburg, 5,397; Harburg, 2,379; Helsingborg 2,289; Kampen, 56; La Plata, 3,900; Landscrona, 1505; Libau, 5,247 ; Leghorn, 867 ; Muhlgraben, 6,847 ; Nakskov, 1,597; Newfairwater, 385; Nonkoping, 1,229; Naples, 1 220; Oporto, J,351; Oxelosund, 7,431; Reval, 1,340; Riga, 4,198; Rotterdam, 3,077; Stockholm, 861; Stettin 3,731; Saxejobing, 419; Stege, 4,011; Trieste, 306; Videy, 1,090; Valderhang, 304; Windau, 1,725; total, 84 334 tons ; corresponding period last year, no exports; 1911,80,454 tons. THE FORMATION OF COAL. A paper was read before the Society of Chemical Industry (London Section), at Burlington House, on Monday, April 7, on “ High-pressure Reactions: the Formation of Coal and of Hydrogen,” by Dr. F. Bergius, of Hanover. The author, after alluding to the work of Haber and Le Rossignol and to his own work on the oxidation of calcium oxide to peroxide under high pressure, briefly described the preparation of hydrogen of 99'95 per cent, purity by the action of iron on liquid water at high temperatures and pressures. It was shown that the presence of electrolytes increased the velocity of the reaction, which was not merely superficial, as the iron was oxidised throughout to Fe3O4. The hydrogen generated by Dr. Bergius’ method is obtained at such a high pressure as to at once pass without further compression into storage cylinders, i suitable for transport. Proceeding according to this I principle, Prof. Haber and Mr. Le Rossignol have been able to prepare ammonia by the direct union of its elements—N2 + 3H2 2 NH3—and they have | developed this into an industrial application that promises to be largely utilised. i Another example given of the accelerating effect of I pressure upon certain chemical changes is that of the I formation of coal. An outstanding result of Dr. Bergius’ | experiments is to show that the differentiation of anthra- cite from bituminous coal is due, not to time occupied I in formation, or to the temperature prevailing, but to marked increase of pressure. This indication of the 1 governing factor in the production of anthracite being I pressure, Dr. Bergius regards as being in conformity a, with geological facts, which show anthracite to have Material. g bo 1 Peat, Sc8 go (D 00 H A original fl Percentage composition of coal. fl^ .2.S £ to 3.2 w 08 ® rfl f fl o jQ o8 O fl ® be >> o § he o M fl CD hn o — . 52 4 .. ,. 414 .. .. 5'5 .. .0-7 8 .. . 74 3 .. .. 194 ., .. 5'2 .. . 1-07 8 .. . 77'0 .. .. 169 .. .. 50 .. . 107 8 .. . 812 .. ,. 133 . .. 465.. . 0-89 24 .. . 840 .. .. 104 .. ,. 4'62.. . 0-95 61 .. . 83'5 .. .. n o .. .. 4'6 .. . 0'97 64 .. . 83'7 .. . 10'9 .. .. 5'4 .. — 8 .. . 831 .. .. 117 . .. 52 .. — Cellulose ...... 250 ......... 300 ......... 340 ......... 340 ......... 340 310 ..... 340 The experimental results, on the artificial conversion of peat and cellulose, indicate that the fundamental change is represented by:— 4C6H1oO5 = C2iH16O2 + 3 CO2 + 12H2O; (Cellulose.) (Coal-like residue.) although this may be accompanied by others, due to the various ingredients present in the raw material beyond that of pure cellulose. When peat was used that had in it fatty matters, these latter contributed methane to the gaseous products. The peat mentioned in the table is, therefore, to be regarded as one approximating very closely to pure cellulose, and it is also very low in mineral matter, containing about 2 per cent, of ash. A noteworthy fact was that when using pure cellulose no carbon monoxide was formed. The maximum of carbon percentage was reached at 340 degs. Cent, when heated under pressure for 24 hours, and the further heating to 61 hours tended towards a slight coking of the coal. The author regards the results in the table as showing the mode of formation of bituminous coal as exemplified by the following comparison, in which is also shown results obtained recently by Stein and Klason, of a less successful nature. The resemblance in hydrogen content is regarded as the crucial factor. Natural fat coal ........ Bergius and Specht...... Stein .................. Klason ................ Percentage of carbon. 75 to 90 74 3 to 85'2 81'3 825 Percentage of hydrogen. 4'5 to 5 4 5 to 5 2 38 41 Dr. Bergius found that by raising the pressure consider- ably beyond that employed for the results given above, he obtained a higher carbon percentage, resembling anthracite, and that in this transformation a rise of temperature was not essential, although it accelerated the change. Calculating from the two last lines of the table, he found that at 10 degs. Cent, the period of time required for the conversion from cellulose to coal would be in accord with the millions of years requii*ed by geological considerations.