Alfred Nobel invented dynamite (nitroglycerin absorbed in diatomaceous earth). In 1847, the Turin chemist Ascanio Sobrero, by dripping glycerol (or glycerin—easily obtained from animal fat) into a cooled mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid, and pouring the resulting mixture into water, discovered (or invented) nitroglycerin. Then (perhaps unthinkable today) he tasted the resulting mixture and noted that even without swallowing, even contact with the tongue caused a violent headache with throbbing and severe weakness in the limbs. It was later discovered that this was due to dilation of the blood vessels, and nitroglycerin was prescribed for angina pectoris. Today we know that the effect is actually due to simple nitric oxide (NO), and research in this field has also led to the development of the drug Viagra, which also depends on the vasodilatory effect of nitric oxide. Alfred Nobel’s idea in Stockholm in 1833, however, was to use a small amount of gunpowder to cause the explosion of a large amount of nitroglycerin. But Nobel also had to try to avoid unwanted explosions. To do this, he used a diatomaceous earth based on Kieselguhr (diatomite—a porous rock made from diatom shells) to dilute the nitroglycerin. In 1867, Nobel & Company began shipping and selling dynamite around the world.
