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megalomania
June 26th, 2003, 04:02 PM
FadeToBlackened
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Posts: 201
From: Hell
Registered: MAR 2001
posted March 15, 2001 05:07 PM
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On megalomania's, it is described how this Glauber guy made it by dissolving wood in nitric acid and neutralizing it w/ potassium carbonate. What is in wood that takes place in this reaction? Is there something resembling picric acid or what. And where can I get more info about this Glauber guy, a website, book, or whatnot? -thanks


jin
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Posts: 111
From: uk
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 15, 2001 07:13 PM
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if you purified wood by boiling and bleching and then nitrated it you would get a impure nitrocellulose mixture.
there must have been a mistake in what you read.


Mr Cool
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Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted March 16, 2001 04:34 PM
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I read that TNP was first made by nitrating wood, so maybe there is something in some kinds of wood that resembles phenol? Many natural resins are smelly, so they might contain aromatic compounds sometimes.
But I don't think it would be a useful way of making it.


jin
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Posts: 111
From: uk
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 16, 2001 09:44 PM
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in 1645 glauber discovered that heating saltpetre with sulphuric acid was better method of making nitric than the old way of heating green virtiol with alum and saltpetre.
btw some tree barks contain acetylsalicylic acid but in very small amounts.
[This message has been edited by jin (edited March 16, 2001).]



Mr Cool
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Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted March 17, 2001 10:34 AM
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Willow, contains salicylic acid.


c0deblue
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From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted March 17, 2001 01:26 PM
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Just a thought, but could this have anything to do with the reason willow charcoal is widely regarded as a superior charcoal?


blackadder
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Posts: 313
From: London
Registered: DEC 2000
posted March 17, 2001 03:14 PM
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I think willow charcoal still has lots of Hydrogen and Oxygen in it.


Jhonbus
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From:
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 17, 2001 04:11 PM
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Willow charcoal is very porous.


megalomania
Administrator
Posts: 653
From: USA
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 18, 2001 03:13 PM
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That info on my site comes straight from a book, I forget which one, and it was an older reference, but still quite accurate. Cellulose makes up only 40-50% of the content of wood. Then there is hemicellulose, lignin, and a varity of cresols and saps. Don't forget that plants are a veritable factory of chemical substances, and rich in aromatic molecules.
And plants do not have acetylsalicylic acid, the acetyl part is added by man because salicylic acid straight up has some bad side effects.

vulture
June 27th, 2003, 08:00 AM
Furthermore, acetylsalicylicacid wouldn't exist in a plant, as it immediatly hydrolyzes into salicylic acid and acetic acid.