Mercury(II) fulminate

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Mercury(II) fulminate chemical structure
Mercury(II) fulminate

mercury (II) oxidoazaniumylidynemethane
IUPAC name
Chemical formula Hg(ONC)2
Molecular mass 284.624 g/mol
Shock sensitivity High
Friction sensitivity High
Density 4.43 g/cm³
Explosive velocity 4,250 m/s
RE factor  ?
Melting point N/A
Autoignition temperature 150 °C
Appearance Grey crystalline
solid
CAS number 628-86-4
PubChem 12359
SMILES [C-]#[N+][O-].[C-]
#[N+][O-].[Hg+2]

Mercury fulminate (Hg(ONC)2) is a primary explosive. It is highly sensitive to friction and shock. It is mainly used in blasting caps. It is also known as mercury(II) cyanate.

Today mercury fulminate tends to be replaced by other primary explosives which are less toxic and more stable in time: lead azide, lead styphnate and tetrazene derivatives.

[edit] Preparation

It is prepared by the reaction of mercury with alcohol and concentrated nitric acid under very careful control of the reactional conditions, to avoid explosion.

Silver fulminate can be prepared in a similar way, but this salt is even more unstable than mercury fulminate. It can even explode under water.

[edit] External links