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I was just watching a video about yellow powder (similar formula to black powder, but with potassium carbonate instead of charcoal), and I was wondering: Does regular black powder melt (and potentially detonate) in the same way when heated?

All I can find readily about melting black powder are questions about water contamination, but that's not what I'm curious about.

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  • $\begingroup$ And this "same way" is what? I see no point to use carbonate. Sulfur melts easily, but is it even present in this weird mix you mention? $\endgroup$
    – Mithoron
    Commented Jul 5 at 23:04
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    $\begingroup$ Gunpowder ignites; that's the very purpose of it. Melts, no. $\endgroup$
    – Ivan Neretin
    Commented Jul 6 at 4:27

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Consider that gunpowder contains elemental carbon, which does not melt at standard pressure -- in fact it sublimes at 3915 K.

Carbon is also insoluble in most everything other than molten metals, such as iron. It certainly would not liquefy in molten sodium nitrate ($\ce{NaNO3}$) or molten sulfur at standard pressure.

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