Armstrong's mixture

Armstrong's mixture is a highly sensitive primary explosive whose primary ingredients are red phosphorus and potassium chlorate, with sulfur and calcium carbonate present in small amounts. Commercially, it is used in extremely small quantities on the paper caps that are used in toy cap guns. cite web|url=http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/phys/bang.htm|title=Flash! Bang! Whiz!: An introduction to propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics and fireworks|author=J. B. Calvert|accessdate=2006-11-11] It has also been considered a suitable mixture for the primer used in guns after boron carbide has been added. [US patent reference|number=3973502|y=1976|m=08|d=10|inventor=Charles R Olsen|title=Tube primer] The explosive is extremely dangerous, as it can detonate from very small shocks and friction. It is especially sensitive when dry, and inexperienced pyrotechnicians who try to produce it often injure themselves severely in the attempt. Armstrongs Mixture is extremely explosive and can explode violently in an unenclosed space, e.g. a pile of the mixture with a fuse in it would explode in the same way as it would in a sealed container. [cite web|url=http://www.freeinfosociety.com/pdfs/science/impactfirecrackers.pdf|title=Impact Firecrackers|author=John Donner|accessdate=2006-11-11|format=PDF]

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