Fossilized algae made volatile nitroglycerin safe to handle as dynamite
In the 1860s, nitroglycerin was notorious for detonating under the slightest accidental impact or temperature fluctuation, causing fatal factory explosions. Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel discovered that mixing three parts liquid nitroglycerin with one part kieselguhr—a porous, chalky sediment composed of microscopic fossilized diatom shells—turned the liquid into a stable, kneadable paste. Patented in 1867 as dynamite, the mixture could only be detonated by a blasting cap, revolutionizing global mining and infrastructure.
The Volatile Power of Liquid Nitroglycerin
In the mid-nineteenth century, industrial engineering reached the limits of traditional black powder. Mining operations, railway construction, and canal excavations required breaking through immense formations of solid rock, a task for which black powder was relatively weak and slow-burning. The discovery of nitroglycerin in 1847 by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero introduced a far more potent alternative. Nitroglycerin possessed vastly superior shattering power, releasing tremendous volumes of expanding gas almost instantaneously upon detonation. However, its practical utility was immediately overshadowed by its extraordinary volatility.
Unlike black powder, which requires an ignition source to deflagrate, liquid nitroglycerin is an oily, dense compound susceptible to sudden decomposition under the slightest mechanical provocation. Dropping a container, subjecting it to minor friction, or exposing it to uneven ambient temperatures could trigger a catastrophic explosion. Sobrero himself recognized this extreme hazard and initially discouraged its widespread commercial adoption, fearing that its unpredictable nature made it fundamentally unmanageable for human laborers.
Despite these dangers, the economic demand for powerful blasting agents drove entrepreneurs and engineers to experiment with nitroglycerin in rock-blasting projects. The compound was transported in metal cans or bottles, often under harrowing conditions. Unsurprisingly, a succession of horrific accidents soon followed. Warehouses, transport ships, and rail cars were leveled when leaking or jostled containers detonated, leading several governments to ban the transport and storage of liquid nitroglycerin altogether.