Dynamite was invented by Alfred Bernhard Nobel a Swedish chemist in 1867 and it went on to become one of the most important inventions in the history of mankind. Nobel was granted 355 different patents for his different inventions of which dynamite was the most famous. Alfred Nobel started experimenting with nitroglycerine in 1860s as he wanted to develop new methods that could help in blasting rocks.
Dynamite is a blasting explosive that uses nitroglycerine. Nitroglycerine was initially mixed with diatomaceous earth, occurring naturally. It is soft, made with sedimentary siliceous rock that can be easily crushed into a powder which is white or off-white in color. Dynamite has a length of 20 cm and about 2.5 cm diameter having a weight of about 0.25 kg and sold in the form of sticks. Dynamites in other sizes are also available.
The standard for measuring explosive power is TNT (trinitrotoluene). Dynamite has an energy density that is 60% more than that of TNT. The other form of dynamite has a mixture of nitroglycerine, nitrocellulose and some amount of ketone. This form is much safer compared to the mix of diatomaceous earth with nitroglycerine.
Dynamite is used mainly in the quarrying, mining and construction industries. It was used in warfare in historic times. Due to the nature of nitroglycerine, which is highly unstable especially when subjected to freezing temperatures, dynamites are no longer used in modern military.
