Gun Powder on 87 Octane
Well, I have heard one of the craziest proposals on racing. People suggested to maybe use gun powder to boost low octane gasoline…
Well, the truth is that damage is imminent, but how big, will depend on what gun powder you use. 
Before clarifying, first of all, gun powder is solid. Not being a fluid is reason enough to stop thinking on that! Non-fluid components will risk the whole fuel system, specially the capillary size flow parts like injectors, if it gets through the fuel filter.
Haven’t tried that, but if you use regular (old) gun powder (black powder), it is composed of very finely powdered and very intimately mixed charcoal (Carbon – C), sulfur (S) and salpeter (Potassium Nitrate – KNO3). It will separate on a liquid (fuel) and some particles will actually path the fuel filter, specially KNO3 that can be diluted.
That is just part of the problem, because if it makes it through the combustion chamber, the chemical reaction under high pressure and high temperature will be unpredictable.
Potassium Nitrate, which is the part that will mostly reach the combustion chamber because of it solubility at high temperatures, is the oxidant part of gun powder. At high temperature it will liberate one atom of oxygen per molecule of KNO3, boosting the combustion stroke. Yes, possibly more power and possibly in the order of the power given by nitrous oxides (at the end there are plenty of nitrous oxides in KNO3), but with a devastating effect on the engine, like extreme corrosion because of nitric acid formation, damage of the catalytic converter, and a possible complete valve clough because of the resulting Potassium Nitrite (KNO2), to mention a few.
On the other hand, if the gun powder used is the modern smokeless powder, I think that the fuel filter will get cloughed in question if seconds. If it manages to get to the combustion chamber, the same nitrous oxides + nitric acid accident will happen. Smokeless powder is made using nitro-cellulose, like nitro-cotton. Yes, nitrated cotton. It gets worse than that, as it is a double-base powder, meaning that a small percentage of nitro-glycerin is added for a more complete combustion. This complete combustion and the fact that it is a chemical compound and not a mixture as the black powder is, make it burn so complete, that makes little or no smoke and very small solid residue, contrary to black powder. Invisible gasses are liberated from its combustion and that’s is why it is called smokeless powder. At the end some nitro-glycerin may reach the combustion chamber at least.
In any case, it is a bad, bad idea. I though only a child could imagine a thing like that, but who knows. Who ever uses this, will only get a non-running vehicle in a very little time and the damage will be so expensive to fix that maybe will be without car for long.
Sounds like an obvious need-not-to-explain silly idea, but I have often heard things like this, so I better give my two cents for enlightment.
Anyway, keep safe guys.
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