Tonite.—­The analysis of this explosive is a comparatively easy matter, and can be performed as follows:—­Weigh out 10 grms., or a smaller quantity, and boil with water in a beaker, decanting the liquid four or five times, and filter.  The aqueous solution will contain the nitrate of barium.  Then put the residue on the filter, and wash two or three times with boiling water.  Evaporate the filtrate to dryness in a platinum dish.  Dry and weigh.  This equals the Ba(NO_{3})_{2}.  If the sample is tonite No. 3, and contains di-nitro-benzol, treat first with ether to dissolve out this substance.  Filter into a dish, and evaporate off the ether, and weigh the di-nitro-benzol, and afterwards treat residue with water as before.  The residue is dried and weighed, and equals the gun-cotton present.  It should then be treated with a solution of ether-alcohol in a conical flask, allowed to stand some three hours, then filtered through a weighed filter paper, dried at 40 deg.  C., and weighed.  This will give the gun-cotton, and the difference between this last weight and the previous one will give the collodion-cotton.  A portion of the residue containing both the gun-cotton and the soluble cotton can be tested in the nitrometer, and the nitrogen determined.

Cordite.—­This explosive consists of gun-cotton (with a little collodion-cotton in it as impurity), nitro-glycerine, and vaseline—­the proportions being given as 30 per cent. nitro-glycerine, 65 per cent. gun-cotton, and 5 per cent. vaseline.  Its analysis is performed by a modification of the method given for gelatines.  Five grms. may be dissolved in ether-alcohol in a conical flask, allowed to stand all night, and then filtered through a linen filter.  The residue is washed with a little ether, pressed, and dried at 40 deg.  C., and weighed.  It equals the gun-cotton.  The solution contains the nitro-glycerine, soluble cotton, and vaseline.  The cotton is precipitated with chloroform, filtered off, dried, and weighed.  The two ether-alcohol solutions are mixed, and carefully evaporated down in a platinum dish upon the water bath at a low temperature.  The residue is afterwards treated with strong 80 per cent. acetic acid, which dissolves out any nitro-glycerine left in it.  The nitro-glycerine is then obtained by difference, or the method suggested to me privately by Mr W.J.  Williams may be used.  The residue obtained by evaporation of the ether-alcohol solution, after weighing, is treated with alcoholic potash to decompose the nitro-glycerine, water is added and the alcohol evaporated off.  Some ether is then added, and the mixture shaken, and the ether separated and evaporated, and the residue weighed as vaseline.

The moisture should, however, be determined by the method devised by Mr Arthur Marshall, F.I.C., of the Royal Gunpowder Works, Waltham Abbey, which is carried out as follows:—­The cordite or other explosive is prepared in the manner laid down for the Abel heat test, that is t say, it is ground in a small mill, and that portion is selected which passes through a sieve having holes of the size of No. 8 wire gauge, but not through one with holes No. 14 wire gauge.