mercury fulminate

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a gray, crystalline solid, Hg(CNO) 2 , used chiefly in the manufacture of commercial and military detonators.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercury fulminate¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Mercury fulminate is more often employed in the detonator, and is prepared from mercury, alcohol, and nitric acid.

From Project Gutenberg

Chemistry advances, like the isolation of mercury fulminate in 1800, led to the invention of the percussion cap and other primers.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a more powerful explosive than mercury fulminate, and has been used instead, in the manufacture of detonators.

From Project Gutenberg