The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

MERCURY FULMINATE 411
mented with small particles of various primary explosives, heated
m copper capsules in a bath of Wood's metal. If a sample did not
explode within 20 seconds, the temperature of the bath was
raised 10° and a new sample was tried. The temperatures at
which explosions occurred were ass follows.
Mercury fulminate 190°
Sodium fulminate 150°
Nitrogen sulfide 190°
Benzenediazonium nitrate 90°
Chloratotnmercuraldehyde 130°
Silver azide 290°
Basic mercury nitromethame 160°
In a later series of experiments Wohler and Martin 12 studied a
large number of fulminates and azides. The materials were in
the form of microcrystallme powders, and all were compressed
under the same pressure into pellets weighing 0.02 gram. The
temperatures at which explosions occurred within 5 seconds were
as follows.
Mercury fulminate . 215°
Silver fulminate 170°
Copper fulminate 205°
Cadmium fulminate 215°
Sodium fulminate 215°
Potassium fulminate 225°
Thallium fulminate 120°
Cobalt azide 148°
Barium azide 152°
Calcium azide 158°
Strontium azide 169°
Cuprous azide 174°
Nickel azide 200°
Manganese azide 203°
Lithium azide 245°
Mercurous azide 281°
Zinc azide 289°
Cadmium azide 291°
Silver azide 297°
Lead azide 327°
Wohler and Martin 13 in the same year also reported determinations
of the smallest amouints of certain fulminates and
12 Z angew Chew,, 30, 33 (1917)
13 Z ges Schtess- u Sprengstofiifl , 12, 1, 18 (1917),