The Rise of Ming Dynasty 1646

Chapter 494 The Emergence of Chemical Industry in Ming Dynasty

Yao Qisheng was surprised and said: "Cotton can explode? The movement just now is really not small..."

Zhu Linmi said angrily: "I told you to prepare more cotton, so you just bought a small two thousand catties and came back."

He then explained the principle that the fine fiber dust has a large contact surface with the air, and when it reaches a certain proportion, it will explode when it encounters a fire. Fortunately."

In fact, even in the Ming Dynasty, people knew that the warehouses for storing cotton and flour had to be strictly fireproof, otherwise there would be an explosion.However, Yao Qisheng and others were all scholars. He had gone to the warehouse to look at it, and it happened that the cotton he bought this time was extremely fluffy, so he almost lost his life.

Fortunately, the most expensive experimental equipment was originally in Shaoxing, and it had not been delivered at this time, otherwise it would take a lot of effort to get these things together.

Zhu Linmi ordered people to simply clean up the scene, and asked Yao Qisheng and the others to go to rest first, while she turned on the light and began to compile the "Laboratory Safety Regulations".

The next day, as soon as Yao Qisheng and the others had breakfast, a few pages of bound paper were stuffed into their hands.

"Laboratory safety regulations?" Someone flipped through and read, "In order to ensure the normal progress of the experiment and strengthen the safety management of the laboratory, this safety system is specially formulated. Note: It is suitable for explosives configuration experiments.

"First, before starting the experiment, it is necessary to plan the response to safety accidents, set up escape routes, and equip fire extinguishing and healing equipment...

"Second, all experimental raw materials, instruments, finished products, etc. must be managed by special personnel, and the safety inspection log must be filled in every day...

"[-]. Before leaving the experimental site every day, water, fire, poison, etc. must be turned off, and doors and windows must be closed...

"Fourth, before large-scale experiments start, all raw materials and processes must be tested in small doses...

"Five, dangerous experiments, such as high temperature, explosion, toxicity, etc., must wear prescribed protective clothing...""

After Shi Lin finished handing out the copied "Regulations", he added, "Your Highness has ordered you to memorize all of them by heart before lunch."

"It's... the students take orders."

It's not that Zhu Linming made a fuss over a molehill, but just started to standardize the management and procedures of the laboratory through this incident.Under a scientific experimental management system, as long as the country is willing to invest in money and talents, it can be said that any scientific research project is only a matter of time.

Of course, this "Regulation" is just the simplest start, but following this direction, the Ministry of Industry will soon be able to make corresponding regulations on experiments involving all aspects.The significance of this to promoting the technological progress of the entire Ming Dynasty is far greater than the production of nitrocellulose itself.

At the end of the day, the reciting conditions of all the participants in the experiment had been checked, and it happened that the horse-drawn carriage transporting the experimental equipment from Shaoxing also arrived.

Yao Qisheng and the others skillfully assembled all the utensils immediately.Among them, there are many things that the Ming Dynasty cannot produce by itself, such as the four or five-foot-long spiral glass condenser tube, which was obtained from the Spaniards by Qiao Weili, and the price was as high as 18 taels of silver!

It seems that the glass factory has to step up its planning.Zhu Lin thought in her heart, if one of these experimental equipment is broken, it will not be able to make up for it in a month or two.There is also an urgent need for large quantities of glass bottles at the canneries.In addition, when the glass factory is completed, it can also mass-produce optical instruments, utensils, lampshades, decorations, etc., which can greatly support both the military and people's livelihood.

However, he has no time to take care of the glass factory for the time being, and the focus now is to concentrate on trial production of nitrocellulose.

"...So, the main point of this nitrocellulose is fuming nitric acid and pure cotton." Zhu Linmi took the trouble to explain the production process of nitrocellulose that she knew.

Although this thing sounds simple—in Verne's novel, it was built with only four or five lines—but in the actual production process, any problem with any detail will lead to the failure of the trial production.

Zhu Linmei only remembers the process of "pure cotton fiber", "concentrated nitric acid" and "nitration for 15 minutes".In order to create a powerful military nitrocellulose, Yao Qisheng and others have to go through repeated trials.

Zhu Linmei and a group of "scientific researchers" discussed the experimental process roughly, and then ordered: "Then let's make it tentative, Ma Lin and his own soldiers are responsible for cleaning cotton, Li Tianchun is responsible for producing fuming nitric acid, and Yao Qisheng and I are in charge of synthesizing it.

He looked at Yao Qisheng again, "By the way, you said that fuming nitric acid was produced when you were in Fujing?"

Because nitric acid is volatile, concentrated nitric acid will absorb water in the air to form a layer of mist. The so-called "fuming nitric acid" refers to nitric acid with a concentration of more than 90%.This thing is the basis of almost all explosives, and it is also one of the core chemical raw materials. It is also the key drug that Zhu Linmi ordered to trial-produce early in the morning.

"Returning to Your Highness, it has indeed been produced by distillation, but the output is less."

With concentrated nitric acid, half of the production of nitrocellulose can be considered.Zhu Linmei nodded in satisfaction. As for the output, it doesn't take much to make nitrocellulose.

"Let's go, first let me see how you prepare nitric acid."

In the dilapidated house outside Nanjing, Yao Qisheng and others rushed to get the things used for the experiment.Soon, Li Tianchun began to calcinate a green powder in a glass flask, and someone else was in charge of watching the fire and the sealing of the equipment.After a while, the smoke passed through the condenser tube and entered the collecting bottle at the other end.

Yao Qisheng explained to the assistant king: "This nitric acid can actually be produced since ancient times, but there is too much water in it. Later, Master Song remembered that His Highness mentioned that concentrated sulfuric acid can absorb water, and then thought of starting fuming nitric acid with concentrated sulfuric acid. It takes a lot of trying to get there.”

Daming never lacks talents!Zhu Linmi was also very pleased, she just created some soil, and Daming's Gezhixue had already begun to take root.

By the time you arrived, a large bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid had been made in the laboratory.Li Tianchun immediately led people to mix the prepared saltpeter powder with concentrated sulfuric acid—the ratio was already tested by them—and started to bottle and burn again.That extremely long condenser tube came in handy.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty had a mature "empirical science" very early, such as "calcining green vitriol to obtain green vitriol oil", which is actually the production of sulfuric acid by indigenous methods.In addition, "decocting and refining into pots of saltpeter" is the method of recrystallization and purification of saltpeter.All of these are recorded in detail in the "Tiangong Kaiwu".

With the experience of these indigenous methods, coupled with the chemical knowledge system brought by Zhu Linmi, how can Daming's chemical production level not improve by leaps and bounds?
Taking advantage of the volatility of nitric acid and the dehydration of concentrated sulfuric acid, a light yellow liquid at the bottom of the bottle - concentrated nitric acid will soon be formed at the other end of the condenser.It's just that the green vitriol and saltpeter are not cheap, and Zhu Linmi has to use extremely pure raw materials, so this nitric acid cost nearly ten taels of silver, but it cannot be used in large-scale industrial production.

　First of all, I would like to say sorry to the book friends.Because the country has strict management regulations on the manufacturing methods of explosive dangerous goods, you may feel that the process of manufacturing nitrocellulose in the article is vague.I really dare not touch the red line on this point, at most it can only be said to such a degree, I hope everyone can understand.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)