Mercury(II) fulminate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| mercury (II) oxidoazaniumylidynemethane IUPAC name |
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| 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. Mercury(II) cyanate, though its formula is identical (HgC2N2O2), is a different compound; cyanate and fulminate are isomers.
Today mercury fulminate tends to be replaced by other primary explosives which are less toxic and more stable over time: lead azide, lead styphnate and tetrazene derivatives.
[edit] Preparation
It is prepared by dissolving mercury in nitric acid and adding ethanol to the solution. It was first prepared by Edward Charles Howard in 1800.[1]
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
[edit] References
- ^ Edward Howard (1800). "On a New Fulminating Mercury.". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 90 (1): 204-238.
