Li Zhi changed to a helper, adjusted the fire power of the stove more than a dozen times, wasted more than a dozen cans of concentrated sulfuric acid, and finally produced nitric acid. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoIn a slightly hot environment, concentrated sulfuric acid turns saltpeter into nitric acid gas, and a large amount of nitric acid gas dissolves into the water in the jar of water, turning that jar of cold water into concentrated nitric acid.

With concentrated nitric acid, Li Zhi was able to make all kinds of new gunpowder.

However, the preparation of various complex gunpowder is too difficult, and the preparation of some of them is still very dangerous, and the first thing Li Zhi has to do is the simple smokeless gunpowder of nitrocellulose. To make nitrocellulose, concentrated nitric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid and cotton are used. Li Zhi first prepared nitric acid and sulfuric acid into a 1:3.5 solution.

However, Li Zhi didn't pay attention to the first time he mixed nitric acid and sulfuric acid, and directly poured nitric acid into sulfuric acid, and the mixture suddenly boiled and splashed out. Fortunately, Li Zhi has been cautious, his eyes are clear, and he quickly took two steps back, so that he was not splashed on his body by this thick acid.

Li Zhichang breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the fine sweat on his head, and secretly said that it was dangerous. If you get on it with this mixture of acid, your skin will immediately burn away.

The second time, he poured sulfuric acid into nitric acid instead, and only then did he safely get a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The mixed liquid will still heat up, so Li Zhi gently stirs the acid in the glass bottle with a glass rod, closes the glass lid and waits for the mixed acid to cool.

After the mixed acid cooled, Li Zhi pressed the defatted cotton into the mixed acid.

Defatted cotton is made in advance, boiled with caustic soda solution, and then rinsed with water to obtain. The fat in the cotton and caustic soda undergo a saponification reaction to turn into soap, and when it is washed, the fat is completely washed away. After the cotton is dried, it is placed in a large cotton bag for later use.

Li Zhi pressed the degreased cotton into a glass filled with mixed acid, pressed several thick layers, and used a glass rod to press the air out between the cotton.

After standing in the acid solution for 20 minutes, Li Zhi took out the nitrified absorbent cotton and rinsed it with water until he could no longer smell sour. Then put the nitrocellulose into the dilute alkali surface solution and boil for 25 minutes, take it out, rinse and dry, and then soak it in 2% saltpeter aqueous solution for stabilization.

Although nitrocellulose has been stabilized, it is still unstable, flammable and explosive. When the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. It can accelerate decomposition and cause spontaneous combustion. Therefore, about 30% alcohol must be added to nitrocellulose as a wetting agent during storage and transportation to increase stability.

After a series of preparations, Li Zhi finally got a small jar of nitrocellulose smokeless gunpowder. Li Zhi lit several balls of nitrocellulose with a torch, only to see that as soon as the fire touched the cotton, the whole cotton burst into flames, exploding in the air like fireworks. Looking at the burning rate of this nitrocellulose, I am afraid that it is much stronger than black powder.

The most important thing is that the nitrocellulose is completely burned after burning, leaving no ashes. Using nitrocellulose as a propellant eliminates the need for rifle shooters to clean the barrel of black powder residue with a throughbar. In a battlefield where every second counts, the few seconds saved can dramatically increase the speed of fire for riflemen.

If the firing speed can be a few percent faster, the rifleman will be able to fire a few more shots before the enemy rushes to the front of the formation, and the combat effectiveness will be increased by several percent!

Li Zhi was busy all day and made a sack of nitrocellulose. Then he asked the guards to knead, calender, and slice the nitrocellulose into flake particles, and then stopped.

The next day, Li Zhi came to the shooting range with nitrocellulose and asked a personal guard to use this new gunpowder as a propellant for a rifle test shot.

Li Xing, Zheng Kaicheng and others didn't know how to find out the news of Li Zhi's test of new gunpowder, and they all came. Several regiment leaders surrounded Li Zhi's burlap bag, wanting to open it but not daring.

Li Xing smiled: "Big brother, can this new gunpowder be more powerful than granular black powder?" ”

Li Zhi glared and asked, "How do you know that I test-fired new gunpowder today?" ”

Li Xing said with a smile: "I went to the General Military Mansion yesterday to find you for tea, and the guards at the door said that you were busy with new gunpowder, so I went back, so naturally I knew about the new gunpowder." ”

Li Zhi nodded and said, "This new type of gunpowder is powerful, not only is it smaller and more powerful, but it also has no residue, and there is no need for the shooter to clean the chamber." ”

Zhong Feng sighed and said, "Uncle, wouldn't that save a quarter of the time?" ”

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Look at it!" Look at the shooter's test shot! ”

The guard who was selected for the test shot was very nervous, and his hands trembled a little during the test shot. Seeing his scared look, Li Zhi smiled and said, "If you are injured by the explosion, the pension will be increased by fifty percent." ”

With the increase in the overall price of goods in the Ming Dynasty, Li Zhi increased the monthly salary of the workers, and the monthly salary of the soldiers of the Tiger Division also increased, becoming three taels of silver per month. Correspondingly, now Li Zhi has given the wounded in previous battles, and the pensions of the dead have also been raised, and they have also become 250%.

Li Zhi said that he would add 50% of the pension to this shooter, and the pension would reach 327 yuan. Even if this shooter is seriously injured, he will be able to lie in bed and receive money in the next life. When he heard this, his hands stopped shaking, his face became more resolute, and the fine sweat on his head decreased a lot.

At the beginning of the test launch, first test a small amount of nitrocellulose. The shooter took a pinch of new smokeless gunpowder from a cowhide bag soaked in alcohol, pressed it into the chamber with a strip, and then reloaded.

Only a thud was heard, and the bullet shot out of the chamber of the gun, hitting the double armor of Dongnu placed one hundred and twenty meters away, but failed to penetrate the armor.

In the past, granular black powder could penetrate double layers of armor, and nitrocellulose naturally had to meet this standard to be qualified. Li Zhi asked the shooter to increase the amount of gunpowder, and the shooter's hand trembled again when he heard this.

This shooter is also a veteran, I don't know how many times he has hit the target with black powder, and after shooting, he subconsciously cleaned the gun with a strip. But he stabbed it with a strip for a long time, and did not feel any residue in the chamber of the gun.

He turned to Li Zhi and smiled, "Uncle, there is really no residue." ”

Li Zhi nodded and asked him to shoot.

The second shot increased the amount of medicine, but still did not penetrate the double armor at a distance of 120 meters.

The third time he increased the dosage, the shooter gritted his teeth and pressed the trigger, piercing the double iron armor one hundred and twenty meters away.

Seeing the two holes in the armor, several regimental commanders let out cheers.

Li Xing said excitedly: "Big brother, now our infantry is even more powerful!" ”

Li Zhi weighed the weight of the propellant used once, calculated it, and said: "This new type of gunpowder is not cheap, just counting the raw materials and the money for the steam engine is a lot of money, plus labor, the gunpowder needed for this launch will cost two cents of silver." ”