An explosive mixture composed of nitroglycerine, guncotton, wood pulp, and potassium nitrate: Gelignite was invented in 1875 by Alfred Nobel, who had earlier invented dynamite. Unlike dynamite, gelignite is not subject to the dangerous problem of sweating nor the leaking of unstable nitroglycerine from the solid matrix.

Blasting gelatin is an explosive consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or gun cotton) dissolved in nitroglycerine and mixed with wood pulp and sodium or potassium nitrate.

As one of the cheapest explosives, gelignite is mostly used for large-scale blasting in the construction and mining industries. Unlike gunpowder, it burns slowly and cannot explode without a detonator, so it can be stored safely.

A substance that is used to cause explosions; especially, under water.