What Causes the Smoke When a Gun Goes Off?
Powder of this latter kind always produces a considerable quantity of smoke when it is fired, because there is a quantity of fine particles formed from the breaking up of the saltpeter and from some of the charcoal which is not completely burned. This smoke forms a cloud that takes some time to clear away, which is a very objectionable feature. In order to get rid of it, efforts were made to produce a substance that would explode without leaving any solid residue, and that could be used in guns. These efforts were finally successful, and there are now several brands of smokeless powder in use.