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Silver fulminate

 

 
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Silver fulminate
 
 
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Silver fulminate (AgCNO) is an explosive ionic compound
Ionic compound

In chemistry, an ionic compound is a chemical compound in which ions are held together in a lattice structure by ionic bonds. Usually, the positively charged portion consists of metal cations and the negatively charged portion is an anion or polyatomic ion....
 of silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
 and the fulminate
Fulminate

Fulminates are Chemistry Chemical compound which include the fulminate ion. The fulminate ion, CNO- is a pseudohalic ion, acting like a halogen with its charge and reactivity....
 anion.

Silver fulminate is a primary explosive that has very little practical value due to its extreme sensitivity. The impact of a single water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 droplet has been known to detonate several milligrams of silver fulminate. Even small amounts of this explosive can cause extensive shrapnel
Shrapnel

Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards, relying almost entirely on the shell's velocity for their lethality....
 damage, and should be treated with extreme caution.

Silver fulminate was first prepared in 1800 by Edward Charles Howard
Edward Charles Howard

Edward Charles Howard, born 28 May 1774, the youngest son of the Duke of Norfolk, died 27 September 1816 was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland chemist, who has also been described as "the first chemical engineer of any eminence....
 in his research project to prepare a large variety of fulminates.






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Silver fulminate (AgCNO) is an explosive ionic compound
Ionic compound

In chemistry, an ionic compound is a chemical compound in which ions are held together in a lattice structure by ionic bonds. Usually, the positively charged portion consists of metal cations and the negatively charged portion is an anion or polyatomic ion....
 of silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
 and the fulminate
Fulminate

Fulminates are Chemistry Chemical compound which include the fulminate ion. The fulminate ion, CNO- is a pseudohalic ion, acting like a halogen with its charge and reactivity....
 anion.

Silver fulminate is a primary explosive that has very little practical value due to its extreme sensitivity. The impact of a single water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 droplet has been known to detonate several milligrams of silver fulminate. Even small amounts of this explosive can cause extensive shrapnel
Shrapnel

Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards, relying almost entirely on the shell's velocity for their lethality....
 damage, and should be treated with extreme caution.

Silver fulminate was first prepared in 1800 by Edward Charles Howard
Edward Charles Howard

Edward Charles Howard, born 28 May 1774, the youngest son of the Duke of Norfolk, died 27 September 1816 was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland chemist, who has also been described as "the first chemical engineer of any eminence....
 in his research project to prepare a large variety of fulminates. Since its discovery it mainly has been useful solely as a curiosity explosive in toys and tricks.

Structure

Silver fulminate occurs in two polymorphic forms
Polymorphism (materials science)

Polymorphism in materials science is the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure. Polymorphism can potentially be found in any crystalline material including polymers, minerals, and metals, and is related to allotropy, which refers to chemical elements....
, an orthorhombic
Orthorhombic crystal system

In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the seven lattice point groups. Orthorhombic Lattice s result from stretching a cubic lattice along two of its orthogonal pairs by two different factors, resulting in a rectangular Prism with a rectangular base and height , such that a, b, and c are distinct....
 one and a trigonal one with a rhombohedral
Rhombohedral crystal system

In crystallography, the rhombohedral crystal system is one of the seven Crystal structure crystallographic point groups, named after the two-dimensional rhombus....
 lattice
Bravais lattice

In geometry and crystallography, a Bravais lattice, named after Auguste Bravais, is an infinite set of points generated by a set of discrete translation operations....
. The trigonal polymorph consists of cyclic hexamers, (AgCNO)6.



Preparation

This compound can be prepared by the reaction of concentrated nitric acid
Nitric acid

Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosion and toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns....
 with silver metal and ethyl alcohol, under careful control of the reaction conditions, to avoid explosion. Only very tiny amounts of silver fulminate should be prepared at once, as even the weight of the crystals can cause them to self detonate.

Silver fulminate can be prepared unintentionally, when an acidic solution of silver nitrate comes in contact with alcohol. This is a hazard in e.g. chemical silvering
Silvering

Silvering is the chemistry process of coating glass with a reflective substance.Glass mirrors were first coated by molten metal. Later, tin amalgam was used....
 of mirror
Mirror

A mirror is an object with one surface polished, which leads to reflection and another opaque. The most familiar type of mirror is the plane mirror, which has a flat surface....
s.

Uses

Silver fulminate, often in combination with potassium chlorate
Potassium chlorate

Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, with the chemical formula KClO3. In pure form, it is a white crystalline substance....
, is used in trick noise-makers known as "crackers", "snappers", "pop-its", or "bang-snaps", a popular type of novelty firework.

Silver fulminate and "fulminating silver"

Silver fulminate is often confused with silver nitride, silver azide
Silver azide

Silver azide is the chemical compound with the chemical formula AgN3. This colourless solid is a well-known explosive....
, or fulminating silver
Fulminating silver

'Fulminating silver' is the name given to a number of explosive silver substances that that "fulminate" or detonate easily and violently."Fulminating silver" has no exact chemistry or dictionary definition....
. "Fulminating silver", though always referring to an explosive silver-containing substance, is an ambiguous term. It may be a synonym
Synonym

Synonyms are different words with identical or very similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy....
 of silver fulminate. It may also refer to a mixture
Mixture

In chemistry, a mixture is a substance made by combining two or more different materials without a chemical reaction occurring .While there are no physical changes in a mixture, the chemical properties of a mixture, such as its melting point, may differ from those of its components....
 decomposition product of Tollen's reagent, or an alchemical substance
List of alchemical substances

alchemy studies produced a number of substances, which were later Systematic name as particular chemical chemical compound or mixtures of compounds....
, neither of which may contain the fulminate anion.

Further reading