Gun powder was invented by Chinese alchemists in the 9th century. Gun powder is a mixture of chemical substances including sulfur, charcoal, and wallpaper. Gunpowder is also known as black powder. Gunpowder is a low-explosive substance that is used as a propellant in firearms. The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels while the saltpeter is an oxidizer. Owing to its incendiary properties and the amount of heat and gas volume that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms, artillery, rockets, and fireworks and as a blasting powder in quarrying, mining, and road building. Gunpowder is distinguished from "high" explosives—dynamite and TNT because of its lower burning speed that produces a slower pressure wave, which is less likely to damage the barrel of a gun. Gunpowder is frequently used as an ingredient in fuses, both for fireworks and explosives.