Chemistry of Powder and Explosives by Tenny Davis

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #248650 in Books
* Published on: 1972-06
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 512 pages

Customer Reviews

Great Read5
I've been an amateur pyrotechnician for years, and this book is a good addition to any newcomer to the hobby. Although I'd recommend you take a college course in chemistry before you even try to attempt anything in this book, if at all. You really need to know what you're doing, or you're going to get yourself hurt or killed, and that's not an exaggeration. You'll also need a BATF license to legally carry out any of these procedures in the United States. If you're going to start up the hobby, read and learn as much as you can, get a license, and you will be granted to practicing a very rewarding hobby. Or on the other hand, if you don't plan on embracing it as a hobby, and if you're just reading this for informational purposes, read away. Highly recommended.

Outstanding Chemistry Text5
First, realize that this book is a fairly technical organic chemistry text about explosives. Under the heading of explosives also fall black powder and some pyrotechnic compositions, but the bulk of the text is about high explosives. This was one of the first texts I read on explosives, and it is one of the best. That being said, I am a synthetic organic chemist by training, so I have a very different perspective on the material.

As one reader mentioned, there is a lot of history in this book. Davis was the chair of the historical section of the ACS (American Chemical Society) for many years, and it shows here. Much is written about the discovery and the industrial processes used to manufacture explosives. Their uses throughout wars and some commercial aspects are also noted. The history of black powder and pyrotechnics are a very informative read.

This is not a formulations book (i.e., the Anarchists' Cookbook, etc.). While it does have some laboratory procedures in it, they are written at a technical level, and without some knowledge of chemistry, it may be difficult to reproduce them.

The material is a little dated, as many of the explosives discovered after 1943 are left out (HMX, CL-20, etc.), but the explosives field is a very mature one, and the material herein is still quite good.

The pyrotechnics are of the 1940s vintage, where mercury, lead and arsenic salts were still in common use, and some other safety considerations were not in place. This book isn't a great place to try and build a library of formulations from, but it is good for the historical aspect.

Overall, the book is very well written and an interesting read. I enjoyed reading it both for the quality of writing and the witty humor interjected by Davis at times. I would highly recommend it to any chemists in the energetic materials world, as well as those interested in the history or chemistry of explosives.

An exellent introduction to Powder & Explosives4
I'm still reading the book. The truth is that its not what I was expecting, because the book was written about 194X during WW2, I had no idea until I recieved it! But its a very good introduction to the subject as it details the evolution throughout the years (of course, until 194X)