[Illustration:  Meta-DINITRO-benzene No.2]

by treating a substance known as mannite, C_{6}H_{8}(Oh)_{6}, an alcohol formed by the lactic acid fermentation of sugar and closely related to the sugars, with nitric and sulphuric acids.  It is a solid substance, and very explosive; it contains 18.58 per cent. of nitrogen.

Nitro-starch has also been used for the manufacture of an explosive.  Muhlhauer has described (Ding.  Poly.  Jour., 73, 137-143) three nitric ethers of starch, the tetra-nitro-starch, C_{12}H_{16}O_{6}(ONO_{2})_{4}, the penta- and hexa-nitro-starch.  They are formed by acting upon potato starch dried at 100 deg.  C. with a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids at a temperature of 20 deg. to 25 deg.  C. Rice starch has also been used in its production.  Muhlhauer proposes to use this body as a smokeless powder, and to nitrate it with the spent mixed acids from the manufacture of nitro-glycerine.  This substance contains from 10.96 to 11.09 per cent. of nitrogen.  It is a white substance, very stable and soluble even in cold nitro-glycerine.

The explosive bodies formed by the nitration of jute have been studied by Messrs Cross and Bevan. and also by Muehlhaeuer.  The former chemists give jute the formula C_{12}H_{18}O_{9}, and believe that its conversion into a nitro-compound takes place according to the equation—­

C_{12}H_{18}O_{9} + 3HNO_{3} = 3H_{2}O + C_{12}H_{15}O_(6}(NO_{3})_{3}.

This is equivalent to a gain in weight of 44 per cent. for the tri-nitrate, and 58 per cent. for the tetra-nitrate.  The formation of the tetra-nitrate appears to be the limit of nitration of jute fibre.  Messrs Cross and Bevan say, “In other words, if we represent the ligno-cellulose molecule by a C_{12} formula, it will contain four hydroxyl (OH) groups, or two less than cellulose similarly represented.”  It contains 11.5 per cent. of nitrogen.  The jute nitrates resemble those of cellulose, and are in all essential points nitrates of ligno-cellulose.

Nitro-jute is used in the composition of the well-known Cooppal Smokeless Powders.  Cross and Bevan are of opinion that there is no very obvious advantage in the use of lignified textile fibres as raw materials for explosive nitrates, seeing that a number of raw materials containing cellulose (chiefly as cotton) can be obtained at from L10 to L25 a ton, and yield also 150 to 170 per cent. of explosive material when nitrated (whereas jute only gives 154.4 per cent.), and are in many ways superior to the products obtained from jute.  Nitro-lignin, or nitrated wood, is, however, largely used in the composition of a good many of the smokeless powders, such as Schultze’s, the Smokeless Powder Co.’s products, and others.