Big Bang Chemistry

From way back in human history, people have been mixing different chemicals together and getting big bangs. Unfortunately, they have then often - but not always - used those bangs to frighten or hurt other people! A quick look at the history of explosives shows us just how long we relied on gunpowder - and where we have moved since then. The links at the bottom of this page will enable you to find out more about the world of explosives.

Making explosives - the chemist's dilemma

A look at the history of explosives makes it very clear that chemists - and alchemists before them - have played a major role in the development of explosives. This presents many people with a problem. In the past scientists would very often be involved in scientific research simply because it interested them. They were not being paid to investigate or develop particular medicines, chemicals or explosives. They were simply following an interesting line of enquiry. In a few cases the chemical they developed then turned out to be an explosive. Explosives have many uses, and a lot of them are of great benefit in the mining industry and the construction industries, but it cannot be denied that explosives are also widely used in weapons to kill people and destroy buildings. How does this affect the chemist concerned?

Modern scientists rarely have the luxury of simply carrying out work which interests them. They are usually given grants or paid by companies or organisations to work in particular fields - for example cancer research, research into alternative energy sources - or research into explosives.

How does society judge the chemist who accidentally discovered a new explosive? And how do we look at scientists who are actively researching new explosives? Visit "The History of Explosives" for a fun web site which gives information about the development of explosives and weapons from the early Chinese to the mid-nineteenth century. Use any information you find, along with ideas from the links at the bottom of this page and your own ideas to answer the questions in the activities linked from the resources in this section.

Gunpowder

Nitrocellulose

Nitroglycerine

Dynamite

TNT