Dynamite is the invention of Alfred Nobel

Dynamite is a special explosive mixture, the basiswhich is nitroglycerin. It is worth noting that in its pure form this substance is extremely dangerous. While impregnating solid absorbents with nitroglycerin makes it safe to store and use, convenient to use. Also dynamite can contain other substances. As a rule, the formed mass has the shape of a cylinder and is packed into paper or plastic.

The invention of dynamite

An important event for the invention of dynamite wasthe discovery of nitroglycerin. This happened in 1846. The discoverer was the chemist from Italy, Ascanio Sobrero. For a powerful explosive, immediately began to build factories around the world. One of them was opened in Russia. Domestic chemists Zinin and Petrushevsky searched for a way how to apply it safely. One of their students was Alfred Nobel.

In 1863, Nobel discovered a detonator cap thatsignificantly simplified the practical use of nitroglycerin. This was achieved by activating the explosive with the help of rattling mercury. Many people today consider this discovery of Nobel to be more important than the discovery of dynamite.

Himself dynamite Swedish chemist patented in 1867. Until the middle of the last century it was used as the main explosive when working in the mountains and, of course, in military affairs.

Dynamite is walking around the planet

For the first time, dynamite was used for military purposes by Nobel himself in the year when he patented it. However, then the idea was considered unsuccessful, since it is too unsafe.

On an industrial scale, the production of dynamite began in 1869. One of the first to use it Russian industrialists. Already in 1871, it was used for the extraction of coal and zinc ore.

The volume of production of dynamite grew exponentially. If in 1867 11 tons were produced, then after 5 years - 1570 tons, and by 1875 it was produced up to 8 thousand tons.

That dynamite is a great weapon, the firstunderstood the Germans. They began to blow up fortresses and bridges, prompting the use of it and the French. In 1871 this explosive material appeared in the engineering troops of Austria-Hungary.

What does dynamite consist of?

As soon as the industrialists and the military of the world learned,that is a part of dynamite, they immediately set up its production. Continue to produce it today. Today it is a cartridges weighing up to 200 grams, which can be used for half a year. There are high-percentage and low-percentage substances.

While the composition of dynamite differed from manufacturer to manufacturer, its main components naturally remained unchanged.

The main one is a nitro mixture. It was used to improve frost resistance. It consisted of nitroglycerin and dinitrogikolya. This is the main component that is held to 40% by weight. The following components by volume - ammonium nitrate (30%), almost 20% was spent on sodium nitrate. The remaining components are used to a much lesser degree - is nitrocellulose, wood flour, balsa and talc.

Dynamite at the service of criminals

One of the first to understand what dynamite is,criminal of all stripes and terrorist organizations. One of the first crimes involving the use of this explosive occurred in the US in 1875. American sailor William Kong-Thomassen attempted to undermine the Mosel ship that had gone into the sea to obtain insurance. However, the barrel with self-made dynamite exploded in the port during loading. The tragedy claimed the lives of 80 people.

However, the first failure did not stop the leadersthe criminal world and terrorists. From 1883 to 1885, members of an extremist organization that advocated the separation of Ireland from the UK, staged a series of explosions using dynamite. Including an explosion in the main department of the British police Scotland Yard and an attempt to undermine the London Bridge.

They used this substance and fighters against autocracy in Russia. In particular, the party "Narodnaya Volya". In Europe, dynamite was widely used by anarchists.

The popularity of dynamite falls

For many years, the majorityindustrialists believed that dynamite - this is the main explosive in mining and the discovery of new minerals. He stood the competition of saltpeter until the middle of the XX century. In some countries - until the mid-80's. For example, dynamite was very popular in South Africa. It was used here in gold mines. Already closer to the nineties, under the pressure of trade union organizations, most of the factories were redeployed to safer nitrate-based explosives.

In Russia, dynamite was mass produced after the Great Patriotic War. The hard-freezing composition was especially popular. From the domestic industry, the explosive material was used only in the 1960s.

For many countries, dynamite is an affordable andeasy explosive. This state of affairs persisted for almost 100 years. To date, dynamite occupies no more than 2% of the total turnover of all explosives in the world.