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Which three ingredients make up black powder?
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explosive
A coal miner loading a drill hole with a water gel explosive called Tovex.
Black powder is an explosive mixture composed of three primary ingredients: saltpetre (potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate), charcoal, and sulfur.12
For approximately 300 years, the standard composition of black powder has been roughly 75 percent saltpetre, 15 percent charcoal, and 10 percent sulfur. While potassium nitrate is traditionally used for higher-quality applications such as firearms and military devices, sodium nitrate is sometimes used as a less expensive alternative for mining and construction purposes.12