Subject: Re: Davis and Urbanski
From: nreitzel@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu (Norman L. Reitzel   )
Date: Apr 02 1995
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics

In article <95091.162242PBUZZE41@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
<PBUZZE41@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> writes:

>Could someone please give me info on where Davis' 'Chemistry of Powder
>and Explosives' and where any of Urbanski's literature on this subject
>could be purchased.
>thanks.

Urbanski's "Chemistry and Technology of Explosives" is published by 
Pegamon Press, London and New York.  It's currently available in four 
volumes, just send money.

If you get Urbanski, don't bother with Davis.  It's mostly excerpts and 
abstractions from Urbanski anyway.  Reading Davis, one wonders why 
Pegamon etc. have not sued them into the next century.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Norman L. Reitzel, Jr.       |    "When you live beside the graveyard,
  nreitzel@lonestar.utsa.edu   |     you can't cry for every funeral."
  Blue Water Ventures, dba.    |                     Russian Proverb
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Davis and Urbanski
From: nreitzel@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu (Norman L. Reitzel   )
Date: Apr 07 1995
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics

Whups.  I did have it wrong.  Davis predates Urbanski.

I went through all four volumes of Urbanski and Davis as well, and found 
(no claim to being comprehensive) nineteen references cited by both.  
Also the illustration I thought came from Urbanski did not, it was a 
press photograph released by DuPont circa 1935.

My Apologies to Davis.

Having straightened that out, I'll stand by my original comment.  If you 
want to learn about the chemistry of explosives, Urbanski is the 
reference, and Davis simply doesn't cut it.  Davis book is a nice survey, 
for someone who isn't particularly interested in the details of anything.
It's kind of like a Reader's Digest edition of War and Peace.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Norman L. Reitzel, Jr.       |    "When you live beside the graveyard,
  nreitzel@lonestar.utsa.edu   |     you can't cry for every funeral."
  Blue Water Ventures, dba.    |                     Russian Proverb
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Davis and Urbanski
From: nreitzel@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu (Norman L. Reitzel   )
Date: Apr 10 1995
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics

In article <3mbbc3$42j@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> nreitzel@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu
(Norman L. Reitzel ) writes:

>In article <3ma4br$bpv@sundog.tiac.net> conover@max.tiac.net (Harry H
>Conover) writes:
>
>>: Whups.  I did have it wrong.  Davis predates Urbanski.
>
>>Norman, quit while you're behind.  You've already 'established' your
>>'credentials' to objectively comment.
>>
>>pps.  Our of curiousity, do you own or have you actually read either
>>      book?

Harry, here's an example that took me about 10 minutes this morning:

Davis has just shy of 20 full pages under the topic "Nitroglycerine".  
Urbanski has 94 pages under the same topic.  If you add in the generic 
topic "Nitric Esters", of which Davis has two pages and Urbanski an 
entire chapter, 29 pages, you can get an idea of how much more 
information Urbanski has than Davis.

How about some detail:  Urbanski devotes six pages to the testing of the 
stability of nitroglycerine.  Davis says NOT ONE WORD.  Now, don't you 
think testing nitroglycerine for stability is important?  Clearly Davis 
did not, which is why it was good that he was at MIT and not DuPont.

Or how about this:  Davis has six LINES of text about the composition of 
mixed acid for nitration.  Urbanski has fourteen pages of information, 
including charts about the rate of nitration versus acid composition, 
yields of product versus acid composition, solubility of nitroglycerine 
in spent acid versus acid composition, partition coefficients of nitric 
acid between nitroglycerine and spent acid based on acid composition, and 
finally, a chart on required wash water versus composition of nitration 
acid to bring the nitrometer rating (Nitrometer?  Davis doesn't mention 
it) of nitroglycerine within safe limits.

It is INCOMPREHENSIBLE to me how you can compare the two works.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Norman L. Reitzel, Jr.       |    "When you live beside the graveyard,
  nreitzel@lonestar.utsa.edu   |     you can't cry for every funeral."
  Blue Water Ventures, dba.    |                     Russian Proverb
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------