Byproducts from messed up gun powder

[Jacquesl]

Then you make black powder with KNO3 + S + C and if your ratios are abit messed up.
Can somebody please answer these 2 weird questions for me?

1.
What’s the white stuff forming then the messed up mixture burns, it’s like ceramic of something

2.
And something is extremely slippery if you clean it with water and it also smells like a no.2

 

[chemisttree]

Slippery stuff is potassium sulfide or oxide or hydroxide or carbonate depending on how long it has been exposed to air. If the slipperiness goes away when you wear gloves and get the stuff wet, it is most definitely a basic potassium salt. The slippery feel is your skin dissolving in water... feels slippery. Later they will be chapped and raw. No. 2 smell (poo?) is probably potassium sulfide reacting with water to give off H2S.

I don't know what the "ceramic" residue is unless you are using agricultural sulfur which might be cut with talc or clay. Burning that would probably turn that anticaking agent into a ceramic.

You can avoid all of the whitish, slippery, stinky residue (and chapped hands) by using ammonium nitrate instead of saltpeter.

 

[ravenprp]

1. The white stuff forming when the messed up mixture burns could be a residue of potassium carbonate (K2CO3) or potassium sulfate (K2SO4). These compounds are formed when the potassium nitrate (KNO3) in the mixture decomposes and reacts with the other elements present.

2. The slippery substance and smell could be due to the presence of sulfur (S) in the mixture. Sulfur can create a slippery texture and has a distinct odor, similar to that of rotten eggs. It is also possible that the mixture contains other impurities or contaminants that could contribute to the slippery texture and smell.