Gunpowder Formulas and Proportioning Systems

Timeline

1. c. 850–1100China · ChinaTang alchemists accidentally discovered that saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur mixtures were highly flammable; the Song used gunpowder in rockets, fireballs, and other military devices, and the Wu Jing Zong Yao systematically recorded numerous gunpowder formulas and proportions.
2. c. 1250–1420Eurasia · EurasiaThrough Mongol military expansion and Islamic merchant trade, gunpowder formulas reached the Middle East and entered Europe; scholars such as Roger Bacon recorded improved proportions, and European cannon technology rose in the 14th century.
3. 1420–1460Europe and the Ottoman Empire · West AsiaMid-15th-century granulation pressed gunpowder into grains, greatly increasing burn rate and propulsive force; the Ottoman army used giant cannons driven by improved gunpowder to capture Constantinople in 1453, marking a decisive breakthrough in gunpowder proportioning technology.