In 1867, a yellow explosive entered the market. As a symbol of violent power, it had an important impact on mankind and the entire world. Since the Nobel Prize was first awarded in 1901, the prize and its recipients have aroused the interest of the entire civilized world.
The inventor of yellow dynamite and the founder of this bonus, the Swedish Alfred Nobel, is increasingly valued and admired by people.
Alfred Nobel was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden.
When Alfred, who was frail and sick, reached school age, his parents allowed him and his two brothers to attend Stockholm's top school, Jacobs Primary School. At that time he was the best student in his grade. However, his short school life soon ended due to his family's emigration.
In October 1842, Alfred Nobel arrived in Russia with his mother and brother.
Alfred showed extraordinary talents in languages ??and chemistry. Progress in Russian is rapid. In addition, he was also very fond of literature and even wrote his own poems.
In 1850, when Alfred was 17, the young man was sent on his first learning trip. This trip lasted for two years. In addition to his native Sweden, he also visited Germany, Italy and North America. During the trip, Alfred visited various laboratories and university research institutes, trying to learn as much as possible about the science of developed countries. Results.
After the two trips were over, Alfred returned to Sweden and started his own business.
Due to his father's influence, Nobel had a strong interest in developing explosives since he was a child. Later, while helping his father research torpedoes and explosives, he accumulated a lot of practical knowledge and experience. During his travels in European and American countries, Nobel saw the heavy labor of workers during mining and road construction. He thought that if the power of blasting could be used, physical labor would be reduced and work efficiency would be improved. Therefore, he decided to engage in the research and manufacture of explosives.
Nobel first saw nitroglycerin in Petersburg. There was a professor named Xining who conducted experiments in front of Nobel. He dropped nitroglycerin on an anvil and struck it with an iron hammer. The struck part immediately exploded. This experiment left a deep impression on Nobel. From then on, he developed a keen interest in nitroglycerine. After long-term thinking and repeated experiments, he realized that in order to make nitroglycerin explode, in addition to gravity hammer or violent vibration, it is to heat it to a higher temperature. This temperature is actually the explosion point of nitroglycerin. Therefore, Nobel determined a research topic and tried to find a device to detonate nitroglycerin. This detonating device does not reduce the explosive power of nitroglycerin, but at the same time ensures safety as much as possible. Only in this way can nitroglycerin be made into a practical explosive.
In order to solve the problem of safe detonation of nitroglycerin, Nobel conducted many experiments in Petersburg. In the summer of 1862, he successfully conducted an underwater explosion test. He first put the nitroglycerine into a glass tube and sealed it, then put the glass tube into a tin tube filled with gunpowder, and finally installed a fuse. Nobel came to the river with his two brothers. When he lit the fuse and dropped the tin tube containing the glass tube into the water, an explosion immediately occurred. The power of this explosion exceeded that of ordinary gunpowder. Nobel was very happy. Through this experiment, he discovered that gunpowder could be used to detonate nitroglycerin. However, the amount of gunpowder used is much greater than the amount of nitroglycerin used, so such a large amount of explosives has no practical value. In order to make the amount of explosives less than that of nitroglycerin, he continued to conduct research and experiments with tenacious perseverance.
After Nobel found a way, he conducted a new experiment. Nobel's method of detonating nitroglycerine with a small amount of gunpowder was patented.
While Nobel was researching explosives in Petersburg, his father, who had returned to Sweden, was also engaged in research on explosives.
But Nobel found that using gunpowder as a detonator was not ideal, so he continued his research, hoping to replace it with a new detonator. However, during this period, a major accident occurred. On September 3, 1864, nitroglycerin exploded in a laboratory near Nobel's home in Stockholm, causing heavy losses. In addition to the laboratory being blown into ruins, five of Nobel's assistants were killed on the spot, one of whom was his little brother Oskar. Nobel was spared because he was not in the laboratory at the time. This accident had a great impact on Nobel. Because the explosion was so violent, surrounding residents thought a major earthquake had occurred. Afterwards, when they learned that the explosion occurred in Nobel's laboratory, they considered Nobel a "scientific lunatic" and made a request to the government to ban Nobel from conducting explosive experiments in the city.
However, Nobel did not waver in his determination to develop explosives in his grief.
In the fall of 1867, he found a detonator called mercury fulminate that could replace gunpowder. Mercury fulminate is a brown crystalline powder that is very sensitive and can explode when exposed to vibration. Nobel used it to make explosives, and after countless experiments, he finally succeeded. Thus, a new type of detonator - the detonator - was born. The invention of the detonator can be said to be a major breakthrough in the development of explosive science. In February 1868, the Royal Swedish Scientific Society awarded the Nobel father and son the Gold Medal for their achievements in developing explosives.
Since Nobel invented the method of using gunpowder as a detonator, nitroglycerin has been put into practical use. The company Nobel established in Hamburg, Germany, immediately became a center for selling explosives.
However, nitroglycerin explosive will explode when exposed to strong vibrations; major accidents continue to occur during use.
In order to solve the problem of safe use of explosives, Nobel conducted in-depth research and repeated experiments. After research, he decided to use a solid substance to absorb nitroglycerin to improve its chemical stability. Thus, a new type of explosive was born.
When Nobel chose a solid substance to absorb nitroglycerin, he tried a variety of things, such as charcoal powder, sawdust, cement, brick dust, etc. However, after explosive testing, these things are not ideal. Finally, he found diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is not only chemically stable, but also has great absorptive power, making it very suitable for use as powder in explosives. Nobel mixed nitroglycerine and diatomaceous earth in a ratio of 3:1 to make a new explosive. It is called "diatomaceous earth violent safety explosive", or "violent medicine". This is also known as yellow safety explosive.
By 1873, Nobel had opened 15 factories producing safety explosives in 13 European countries. By this time, the 40-year-old Nobel had become the world-famous "King of Explosives."
Nobel didn’t stop there. He found that although the diatomaceous earth explosive solved the safety problem, it still had a shortcoming, that is, its explosive power was not as good as that of nitroglycerin explosive. In 1873, Nobel founded a well-equipped laboratory in Paris and continued to develop new types of explosives.
One day in 1875, Nobel cut his finger during an experiment, so he used collodion to wrap the wound. Collodion, also known as guncotton, is made of a type of nitrocellulose. It contains low nitrogen and is soluble in ether or alcohol to form a gel. Suddenly, he thought that he could mix collodion with nitroglycerine to make a new type of explosive; thus, colloidal explosive was born. Colloidal explosives not only have greater explosive power than nitroglycerin explosives, but are also safer, insoluble in water, and easily processed into various shapes. After the invention of colloidal explosives, they were widely used in blasting projects in many countries.
Then Nobel began to develop smokeless gunpowder. Development work was not finally completed until 1887. This gunpowder is in granular form and is made by changing the formula of celluloid and replacing the camphor with nitroglycerin. It burns extremely quickly, explodes without smoke, and has no residue, so it is often used in making artillery shells.
In 1890, Nobel once said in a letter: "I hope that I can create a thing or a machine that has extremely terrible destructive power and makes all wars completely impossible. Happened."
Nobel's main scientific activity was the development of explosives, but in addition, he also had a very wide range of research interests. His multiple research works were carried out alternately, and thus he achieved various scientific achievements.
Nobel had a special liking for chemical research, which was of course related to his interest in developing explosives. His research in chemistry involves polymer chemistry, electrochemistry and other fields. Especially for electrochemistry, Nobel devoted more energy and persisted until his later years. In 1895, he funded others to build a salt electrolysis plant to produce caustic soda and chlorine.
Nobel attaches great importance to applied chemistry. He believes that scientific achievements are meaningful only if they meet the actual needs of people's production and life. It was from this point that he researched and invented many practical technologies and products. For example: He conducted research on using nitrocellulose to make rayon, artificial rubber and artificial paint.
Nobel has many inventions and creations. According to incomplete statistics, he obtained as many as 255 patents for inventions and creations in his lifetime. Among them, there are 129 patents related to explosives. Among non-explosive invention patents, there are gas measuring instruments, sulfuric acid concentrators, explosion-proof boilers, silent ejection methods for cartridge cases, improved batteries, improved telephones, improved engines, rayon spinnerets, etc.
Nobel is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of London and the Institution of Civil Engineers of Paris. He has received the Medal of Science awarded by the King of Sweden and the Grand Order of France.
Nobel was not only committed to inventions and creations in science and technology, but also loved literature and wrote many poems, novels and scripts.
Nobel was very modest throughout his life and kept the utmost silence about his achievements. He once said: "I don't know if I deserve fame. I don't like flattery like that." Nobel had a huge fortune, but he didn't care about money. In his suicide note written on November 27, 1895, one year before his death, Nobel stated that he would donate part of his property to relatives and friends, and use most of the rest as a fund. The interest from these funds "will be awarded annually in the form of bonuses to those who have made the greatest contribution to humanity during the past year." He also made specific arrangements for the distribution of bonuses, dividing the bonuses into five parts: "One award will be given to those who have made the most important discoveries or inventions in the field of physics; one award will be given to those who have made the most important discoveries in the field of chemistry." or improve; one award is given to the person who has made the most important discoveries in the fields of physiology and medicine; one award is given to the person who produced the best masterpiece with an idealistic tendency in the field of literature; one award is given to the person who has served the world among all peoples. Friendship, the person who made the greatest and best contribution to the abolition and reduction of the standing army, and the maintenance and promotion of peace. "Judging from the content of the suicide note, he was well thought out; the five aspects contained in it were what he considered. The fields you have been involved in in your life and the causes you have fought for. It can also be said that the decision Nobel made in his later years was a long-held wish deep in his heart.
In 1896, Nobel's condition worsened. In the early morning of December 10, Nobel suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away in Sanremo, Italy, at the age of 63.
Since 1901, the Nobel Foundation has awarded the "Nobel Prize" once a year. In order to commemorate Nobel, the award of the prize will be held on December 10, the day of his death. Recipients are regardless of nationality; the prize can be awarded to one person or divided among two or three people. Later, in addition to the above five awards, starting from 1968, an economics award was added, which was assessed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The amount of the Nobel Prize bonus has also been appropriately adjusted with the expansion of the Nobel Fund.
The world-famous Nobel Prize, as the symbol of the highest honor in the scientific community, has always inspired people to reach the peak of science. The establishment and awarding of the Nobel Prize not only reflects this famous inventor's concern and love for science, art and peace, but also expresses people's deep memory of him. Nobel's name will remain in people's hearts forever.