I was making a batch of black powder. Rather than ball milling it, I make a soln. with the proper amount of KNO3, then soak my charcoal powder with
that then let it dry. This time I added some Eckhart 5413 to the mix to make it sparkly. After awhile I noticed a rather strong ammonia smell
emanating from the batch. I could even see vapors rising from the mush. I cannot think of any way I could get either NH3 or NH4OH from a mixture of
charcoal, KNO3, H2O: and Al powder. The KNO3 has been kept in an airtight container and is about 5 years old. The mixture is in a sauce pot (most
likely aluminum, with spots of teflon coating missing). Any ideas what is happening? |