But you can always reload great grandpa’s musket with some homemade gunpowder. All kidding aside ... that go into this experiment are ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride.

Ordinarily a solution of nitrate of potash (common saltpeter ... of the sulphur and niter of ordinary powder, whereby sulphide of potassium should result. Practice is confirmatory; under the ...

or gunpowder, the basic material in all fireworks, has remained the same since it was discovered in China about 1,000 years ago: 75 percent saltpeter (potassium nitrate), 15 percent charcoal ...

It begins with an explanation of the basic chemistry involved, using potassium nitrate and sugar ... which increases the surface area and allows the powder constituents to blend with the wax ...

In black gunpowder, oxygen is contained in the potassium nitrate, which combusts together with the charcoal. Because the oxygen is integrated with the powder, carbon dioxide and other gases are ...