 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with Ireland and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (December 2022) |
Gelignite (/ˈdʒɛlɪɡnaɪt/), also known as blasting gelatin or simply "jelly", is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or guncotton) dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and saltpetre (sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate).
It was invented in 1875 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, who also invented dynamite. It is more stable than dynamite, but can still suffer from "sweating" or leaching out nitroglycerine.[1][2] Its composition makes it easily moldable and safe to handle without protection, as long as it is not near anything capable of detonating it.
One of the cheapest explosives, it burns slowly and cannot explode without a detonator, so it can be stored safely.[3]
In the United Kingdom, an explosives certificate, issued by the local Chief Officer of Police, is required for possession of gelignite.[4] Due to its widespread civilian use in quarries and mining, it has historically been used by rebel groups such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army[5] and the Ulster Volunteer Force[6] who often used gelignite as a booster.
- ^ Pickett, Mike (2004). Explosives Identification Guide. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-4018-7821-4.
- ^ Braddock, Kevin (3 February 2011). "How to handle gelignite". Wired. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ Irish Industrial Explosives Limited website; accessed 28 July 2014.
- ^ CITB Construction Ste safety, A13 Statutory Forms
- ^ Coogan, Tim Pat (January 2002). The IRA. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 379. ISBN 978-0-312-29416-8.
- ^ "Orange Bombs, part 2: Loyalists and explosives, 1972-1994". Balaclava Street. Retrieved 2020-08-06.