Cholelum is a natural hydrous copper sulfate, which is copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO?? 5H? O) is a widely distributed sulfate mineral. It is a secondary mineral formed after the sulfide of copper is decomposed by oxygen. Oxide zones, which are mainly produced in copper deposits, are also often found on the inner walls and pillars of the mine's workings, which are crystallized by water from the mines. The crystals are plate-shaped or short-columnar, and when these crystals are gathered together, they are granular, lumpy, fibrous, stalactite-like, crust-like, etc. They have a nice blue color, but if exposed to dry air, they turn into an opaque light greenish-white powder due to the loss of water. At the same time, bile alum is highly soluble in water. Cholelum is a chemical raw material for pigments, batteries, pesticides, wood preservation, etc.

However, it is also the source of another weapon of mass destruction.

This big killer is sulfuric acid, commonly known as the mother of industry!

It has always been a dream of Shouhan to obtain a large amount of sulfuric acid by calcining bile alum to produce the so-called three acids and two alkalis such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and caustic soda, and to complete the construction of the chemical system. At the beginning of his reign, he carried out a small-scale production experiment of the cylinder and tower method of calcining pyrite and sulfur to obtain sulfuric acid, and although the experiment proved to be successful, it was still far from the large-scale production he had in mind, and he had to stop.

However, now the large-scale production of sulfuric acid has been put on the agenda again by Shouhan, and the leaders of the chemical workshop, the Han Yuan firm, and the Taiping Dong Arsenal have all been summoned to Hue, and Chen Tianhua is also among the invitees.

And Hu Licheng, who has lost a few hairs, is also shaking his oily and shiny bald head. Accompanied by two Tianzhu orchids and four Dongying maids, he sat proudly in the tent and greeted the acquaintances around him.

"Yo he! Old man Hu, has a new favorite? Are you still strong with this old body? Can it stand up? An old cow has to plough six fertile fields, don't tire the old cow out! ”

There was a little bit of banter with the acquaintance, and Hu Licheng, who was also known as the old fox, said hello.

"Wouldn't it be better if this old cow only ate the grass in the field and did not plough the field?" Hu Licheng is a few years older, but his kung fu is not forgiving at all. A few words pushed the topic back.

"Yo! Then look at how many good pieces of land are so barren? Old man, aren't you afraid? ”

In the ridicule, laughter and scolding, people have all arrived. After greeting each other. The people began to become quiet, and they didn't know what Shouhan had summoned everyone to do this time, but look at the people here, the scope was wide. The number of people is huge. But it's confusing. Could it be said. The lord has something new to come up with? Thinking of this, Hu Licheng's old eyes, which seemed to be a little dizzy, couldn't help but flicker, and the Canaan incense bracelet in his hand was also twisted quickly.

"Gather all of you here today. There's something to say. ”

Sure enough, as the old fox expected, after Shouhan arrived, the first thing he said straight to the point was this.

Dozens of people, under the leadership of Shouhan, rode to a mountain col outside Hue City, and from a distance, there was a strong and pungent smell from the col, which made the horses pulling the cart neigh. The coachmen hurriedly tied the mouths and noses of the horses with strips of cotton soaked with water, which quieted the docile beings a little.

From time to time, there were figures flickering in the col, transporting cartloads of gall alum to the depths of the col, and from there, from time to time, the pungent smell that everyone had just smelled wafted from.

This gallium was discarded in the process of Bodhisattva copper mining like sludge, neither the ore that can be smelted copper, nor the associated ore that has refining value, has been piled up there, but now the golden body of the labor lord brings everyone here, presumably the lord has some new method, the wonder of this gallium is thoroughly detailed, so that it can be for the military affairs, the national economy and the people's livelihood, and the middle for everyone's fortune.

In the col, there is a familiar blast furnace built in the cole, which is very similar to the furnace used for ironmaking.

Cholelum, whose scientific name is copper sulfate pentahydrate, will decompose into patina, sulfur trioxide and water vapor after high-temperature calcination.

On one side of the blast furnace there is a pipe made of ceramics that acts as a gas duct and is responsible for the export of the gases inside the furnace. The other end is connected to a receiving tower. Because it is the first production, there is a thing similar to a sprinkler at the top of the receiving tower to spray water down, and the received gas, that is, those sulfur trioxide, is rising in the receiving tower, and at the same time, the nozzle at the top of the receiving tower is constantly spraying water down, and the two meet in the tower, and they will naturally blend with water and milk, and then have the crystallization of their love, sulfuric acid.

At the bottom of the receiving tower, there is a receiving outlet made of ceramics, where the love crystallized sulfuric acid of sulfur trioxide and water is released, and the sulfuric acid received is carefully packed into the porcelain jar and sealed by those officials and slaves, and then put it back into the nozzle to continue to spray down, and so on and so on several times, and then the oleum acid is obtained. These inflamed sulphuric acid will act as similar to the seeds that are used to receive the next sulphur trioxide. In addition to the initial sulfuric acid water reception, the future will be received with oleum sulfuric acid. Well, it seems a bit like older brothers and sisters with younger brothers and sisters when there are many children.

If you remember high school chemistry, then the scene we just saw can be summed up by the following equation.

CuSO4?5H2O = (Condition: High Temperature) CuO + SO3 + 5H2O, SO3 + H2O = H2SO4

This is the equation for bile alum to zuò sulfuric acid.

If this process were to take place in the 21st century, everyone from the factory owner to the mastermind behind the scenes, Li Shouhan, would be invited to tea and chat by the Environmental Protection Bureau, and would definitely be fined for not even wearing underwear, and maybe even picking up soap. Cause? High energy consumption, high pollution, but, in the seventeenth century, who had the consciousness of this? It is enough to know that this method is simpler and easier than calcining pyrite, and the amount is large!

Watching the officials and slaves seal a jar of fifty catties of sulfuric acid and send it to a nearby cave for storage, the people present did not dare to come out. First, the expression of Shouhan is solemn and strict. Everyone didn't dare to touch the mold at this time, and secondly, the smell here was too strong, and if you want to gasp for breath, you have to go out and talk about it!

"How are these official slaves treated and fed?"

Shouhan did not ask about the output, but first asked about the labor force who was engaged in hot and toxic work. Captives captured from breached towns and villages.

"Each person had three meals a day, a supper in the evening, four meals with fish, meat and eggs, and wine at the supper in the evening. Public supply. Clothes, shoes and socks are all broken and hairy. There are also things like mouth covers. In a word. Every expense of these people here is paid by the public. As long as we spare no effort, we definitely have a conscience. For each official slave, ten silver dollars a month! ”

"How much do you produce per day?"

"Back to the lord, this is a stove. It can produce about 300 catties per day. Because it's a test furnace. So I don't dare to make it too big, the output of the past few days has been used to test the nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, caustic soda and soda ash you said. ”

The principal here answered Shouhan's question very clearly. He was very satisfied.

"Come here, all of you."

Shouhan greeted a group of dignitaries from the civil, military, and industrial circles.

"This thing, I named it sulfuric acid, don't look at it as inconspicuous, but it has a lot of uses. Its descendants and products can be used in industry and commerce, can be used in the military industry, in short, it can help you get rich, fight the world, or burn your face. It's up to us to use it! ”

Everyone looked at each other, although they didn't understand very well, but one by one they were happy on their faces. Originally, how many years have passed, which thing of Shouhan didn't make everyone fall into the clouds at the beginning, and when the mystery was revealed, everyone suddenly realized, and when they understood, their pockets were already full of silver.

In this group of people, Hu Licheng's qualifications and seniority are the oldest, the so-called old and virtuous, he coughed softly and lined up everyone to walk in front of Shouhan to give a deep salute.

"Lord, there is something unclear about the old decay, I hope the beggar lord will make it clear."

"Old Hu, you speak."

The lord said that the role of this thing is important, and the old man naturally did not dare to doubt it, but what is the use of it, I still hope that the lord will give you some advice. lest the people below be stupid, confused, and misunderstand the military affairs of the lord. ”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts when they heard this, and secretly stretched out their thumbs in admiration, worthy of being an old fox, look at what they said, they obviously don't know where the way to get rich is, but they are afraid of delaying the military affairs!

Shouhan smiled, "Our fire gun pipe can be used for sulfuric acid to passivate, and some of the steel needs to be cleaned with it, and, Lao Hu, I heard that your family recently opened a dyeing factory, then I have to congratulate you, your cost will be reduced a lot, this thing, after dilution, can be used to dye cloth, whether it is monochrome cloth or flower cloth, it can be dyed beautifully!" ”

"Lord, apart from being able to passivate the pipe, what is the use of this thing?" Chen Tianhua was itchy when he heard it, pulled everyone away, came to Shouhan, and saluted and asked.

"Tianhua, you have fought well in recent battles, how do you think our gunpowder is more effective than the gunpowder of the mainland officials and armies, and the gunpowder of the Franco machine?"

Hearing Shouhan's question, he had dealt with the Ming army, regimental training, bandits, and mob forces in the interior for several months, and had frank, warm, and direct exchanges with each other on the battlefield.

"Whether it is the gunpowder of the mainland officers and soldiers, or the gunpowder made by the regiment itself, including the gunpowder they bought from the Portuguese in Trench Jingao, compared to our gunpowder, the strength is weak, and the smoke is large and there is a lot of residue. I also once asked the artillery team and the brothers who used the guns to use the captured gunpowder, but the brothers didn't like to use it very much, and when they fired two or three shots, it was covered in smoke, and they couldn't see the front clearly, which affected the firing range. Moreover, there are residues in the barrel and the barrel, which is troublesome to clean up! ”

If the gunpowder in the mainland is strictly manufactured, it is also in the stage of granular black powder, but because a large amount of saltpeter, radish, egg white and other substances are used to ensure the consumption in the process of making gunpowder, especially egg whites and radishes, which are used to purify gunpowder.

Therefore, the gunpowder of the Ming army in the interior was worse than that of the regimental exercises organized and armed by the landlords, at least those regimental exercises were for their own lives and would not be discounted in weapons and ammunition. And the Ming army is not necessarily, a place where a qiē can spend money. are all regarded as oil and water.

How can such a gunpowder manufacturing be compared with the South China Army? The manufacture of gunpowder in the South Chinese Army has long changed from saltpeter to potassium nitrate, which is not only used to make gunpowder, but also potassium nitrate is used to make glass. A large number of corn stalks replaced the willow trees. After charring, it is used as another main ingredient, charcoal. The burning effect is no less than that of willow charcoal, but the cost is much lower than that of willow charcoal. At present, sulfur cannot be abandoned, but there is trade with Japan, and shipwrecks of sulfur are transported by the Japanese people to Nanzhong to exchange various materials and goods; There is also Li Shouhan's cheap old man who came from all over Siam to make a show for him. So. The cost and output of gunpowder manufactured by the South Chinese Army completely exceeded people's imagination. It is enough to meet the consumption of each army.

But. Even Chen Tianhua, who used to be in charge of the affairs of the barracks office, didn't know how the gunpowder of the Nanzhong Army could be so amazing? The same Nanzhong army artillery, with its own gunpowder and ammunition, can hit three miles. With gunpowder from the officers and soldiers or the Franc machine. The same dose is up to two and a half miles. And the shooting effect is not good.

On the contrary, if the artillery not manufactured by the South China Army uses gunpowder made by the South China Army, the amount of ammunition must be reduced. Otherwise, there is a danger of exploding.

The secret here, in addition to the delicate manufacturing process, lies in the patina that is considered by everyone to be a dye. At this moment, these things are being put into cloth bags by the officials and slaves as by-products or residues of the production of sulfuric acid, ready for another processing process.

Patina, the scientific name of copper hydroxide, if heated and calcinated, is copper oxide and water molecules, and copper oxide as an additive mixed into gunpowder, has an excellent effect on the full combustion of gunpowder. (Modern fireworks and firecrackers have different dù additions, and different metal powders are added to different colors of fireworks.) ）

This is the core technology of the military production of the South China Army that Chen Tianhua does not know.

In fact, there is no need to be so nervous, who would be willing to put copper there to grow patina, or buy patina originally used as a dye to add to gunpowder?

"Tianhua, if I sue you, if this thing continues to develop all the way, we can make gunpowder that is several times or ten times more powerful than the current gunpowder, can you believe it?!"

"Every word that the lord says, Tianhua is regarded as a wise saying!"

Of course, Chen Tianhua would not let go of this opportunity to show his loyalty, and he shouted loudly This voice also came from his heart.

"The words of the lord are all wise sayings!"

Everyone didn't care if Chen Tianhua's words were neat or not, and they hurriedly shouted out. Although no one had rehearsed before, it was still uniform.

When Shouhan heard this, he also felt quite relieved in his heart.

"However, it takes dozens or hundreds of experiments to find the process, just like Mr. Huang Qiying and others made the lily porcelain, dozens of failures, before they know how to make zuò and how to fire."

"But with this thing, we have the key to open this door, and we will definitely be able to make this gunpowder!"

Although the words were impassioned, they made people's hearts beat for a while, "In this way, the ways for the sake of the national economy and the people's livelihood that the lord just said should not be slowly explored?" How can this be? ”

But in front of Shouhan, but can not show a monkey anxious look, after all, everyone is worth a lot of money at the moment, and the dividends of the Han Yuan firm, Tonghe dyeing mill, salt number, sugar factory, etc. can be divided into about 100,000 silver dollars every year, which is enough to make everyone live comfortably. And why rush?

However, Hu Licheng, twisting his sparse goatee, couldn't help but think about how to get some sulfuric acid after going back, and then let the dyer master of his dyeing workshop test how to use this thing in the dyeing tank, and also reduce the cost, and the dyed cloth color should be beautiful!

"However, there is one thing that can be seen right now."

Seeing the complicated expressions on the faces of these people, Shouhan was quite amused in his heart, after all these years of hard work, this so-called interest group has finally taken shape.

"Nowadays, it is easy to make glass, but it is difficult to make mirrors, which is why mirrors are expensive. The mirrors sold to Guangzhou, Liudu, Songjiang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Beijing and other places are almost the size of the mirror, and how much gold can be exchanged for back! ”

In fact, what Shouhan said is inevitably a bit untrue, and the cost of mirror manufacturing is actually negligible compared to the profit. After the solution dries, the components of the mercury volatilize, and only the tin remains, and the mirror is manufactured, and the rest is decoration, packaging and other links.

Tin was also found by the natives of the Malay Peninsula to find tin ore along the river, or from the natives in exchange for cloth and other necessities, and the cost was very low.

However, even so, Shouhan still felt that the cost was a bit high, and he wanted to reduce the cost again.

Nowadays, with the process of large-scale production of sulfuric acid, the raw material bile alum can also meet a large supply, with sulfuric acid, saltpeter is a product that can be fully manufactured by itself, and the combination of sulfuric acid and saltpeter is nitric acid. And nitric acid goes one step further and is silver nitrate!

He was going to use the Silver Mirror reaction to make a mirror. (To be continued......)