Jeremy Fox

Chemistry 1010
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Chemistry

Combustion plays a very important role in the use of fireworks, and rockets. But a certain
combustion reaction has caught my attention; this reaction uses a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and
potassium nitrate (saltpeter). If you havent already guessed, this combustion reaction is a
mixture that is called gunpowder. This mixture was the first of its kind, and this mixture excelled
in explosive and propellant properties. Gunpowder was invented in the ninth century, during the
tang dynasty. The written formula appeared two centuries later during the song dynasty.
Explosive in nature, it didnt take long for this invention to travel worldwide, and soon become
the main ingredient of war.
In todays world, gunpowder is considered a smokeless powder and technology has come
a long way sense the tang dynasty. But this mixture is still a very complex reaction, Gunpowder
is not a single reaction, but many complex reactions that occur at the same time during the
reaction that produce a propellant effect.
With the propellant effect in mind, I have been mastering the art of long range shooting
and reloading. A great deal of chemistry play in the art of firearms, and no master should reveal
this secret ingredient. But when it comes to a chemistry project, you would hope the teacher
would not reveal that secret. But comprising a formula to shoot a 180 grain bullet fueled by 71.5
grain of Hodgdon powder at 32 thousand feet per second at 1200 yards is an accomplishment for

a marksman. The empirical formula is C7H4O and is an exothermic reaction which provides
more energy with the ignition of the charcoal. This creates a pressure that exerts in the brass,
which propels the bullet.
In the reloading process the first thing to do is clean the brass that holds everything
together. After the cleaning process we prime the load. The primer starts the reaction and is the
most important part of the bullet. This has to be correct, if it is not, this allows for inconsistent
combustion which will result in unpredictable bullet movement. After that you have to seat the
bullet at the correct length, which will sit at the lens for efficient performance. Every part of this
process has to be performed with extreme care, if one thing is out of place; the combustion
reaction will be thrown off and can cause harm.
Long range shooting is another topic. M.N.O and B.C are the two most important topics
of long range shooting. M.N.O stands for minutes of angles, this is more math than chemistry.
But B.C stands for ballistics coefficient and the definition of that is: a measure of its ability to
overcome air resistance in flight. It is inversely proportional to the negative acceleration a
high number indicates a low negative acceleration (dictionary.com). In order to become a good
marksmen and reloader, one must be educated in chemistry. Even though there is a lot of math,
there is a lot of chemistry also.