=Lyddite=, or picric acid. Consists of melted and solidified picric acid. Vaseline is used to melt it. (See Picric Acid.) =Mercury Fulminate.= Is made by dissolving three parts mercury in 36 parts nitric acid, keeping mixture at low temperature, and when dissolved adding 17 parts of alcohol. A small quantity of F. of M. placed on top of T.N.T. forms an excellent detonating mixture. A great many German detonators consist of this. Discovered by Howard in 1800. =Melinite.= A French H.E., very similar to lyddite. Is picric acid mixed with collodion. Introduced by Eugene Turpin. =Nitro-glycerine.= Is produced by the action of nitric acid and sulphuric acid on glycerine. Invented in 1847. When pure is a colorless liquid. Explodes when heated to about 360° F. N.G. in liquid form too dangerous to be used in practice. Was absorbed in porous solid by Nobel in 1867 as dynamite. Porous solid used either =kiesulguhr= or =fullers’ earth= used in percussion caps. Relative strength 150 equals maximum Blasting glycerine 150 Gelatine dynamite 130 Gelignite 110 Dynamite 100 Carbonite 55 =Picric acid.= A yellow crystalline prepared from coal tar. A by-product of gas manufacture. The “heavy oil” of coal tar is boiled and chemically treated, resulting in phenol or carbolic acid, which separates from it. Carbolic acid is boiled sulphuric acid, and nitric acid is carefully added, resulting in picric acid. It is a very safe explosive and very powerful. Its chief fault is that it forms “picrates” with metals or acid salts, some of which are more sensitive to disturbing influences than the acid itself. To overcome this the inside of all shells are varnished. Pressure of picric acid equals 135,820 lb. on the square inch. =Shimose.= Japanese H.E. Similar to lyddite. =T.N.T.=, or tri-nitro-toluene or Toluol, largely used in German army and navy. Is produced by heating toluene with mixture of nitric and sulphuric acid. Less powerful than lyddite, but is more stable and does not form “picrates” and is not affected by water or air. Will not explode if hit by a bullet. Pressure T.N.T. equal to 119,000 lbs. per square inch. =Tolite.= French name for T.N.T. =Trilite.= Spanish name for T.N.T. =Trotyl.= German name for T.N.T. =Toluene=, or Toluol. Experiments made in 1899 at Karlsruhe produced about seven pints of toluene from one ton of coal. The modern process of low-temperature distillation of coal, however, greatly increases quantity that can be obtained from each ton. Is an aromatic colorless liquid hydrocarbon. =Turpinite.= French H.E. similar to Melinite. =Tetryl.= A coal tar product containing more nitrogen than T.N.T. or lyddite. When mixed with a lead oxide it makes a less sensitive and safer preparation than fulminate of mercury for detonators. =FUSES= =SERVICE FUSE= =No. 11 Safety or Time Fuse= =Description.= Color, black. Smooth surface.