The Chemical Composition of Gunpowder

The chemical composition for gunpowder came from Chinese alchemists looking for an elixir of immortality. The earliest weapons were crude, glorified bottle rockets and later rocks that were used as projectiles shot out of a hollowed out bamboo device. Gunpowder really started to become a force to reckon with in a battle around the end of the Tang dynasty in the 10th century. You don't hear anything about gunpowder in the West until the late 12th century.