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Why does black powder produce white smoke when it burns?
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explosive
A coal miner loading a drill hole with a water gel explosive called Tovex.
When black powder burns, it produces white smoke primarily because of its chemical composition. The mixture consists of saltpetre, charcoal, and sulfur. Upon ignition, this mixture undergoes combustion and converts into approximately 40 percent gaseous products and 60 percent solid products. It is these solid byproducts that appear as the characteristic whitish smoke observed during the reaction.1