fulminate of mercury
A chemist carefully handles a small sample of fulminate of mercury in a secure laboratory.
Noun: A highly explosive chemical compound primarily composed of mercury. In its dry state, it is extremely sensitive to shock, friction, or heat, causing violent detonation. Its primary historical and industrial use has been as an initiator in explosive devices.
This term is a technical noun used in chemistry, explosives engineering, and historical contexts. It refers specifically to the compound's explosive properties and its application. * It is used as the explosive priming agent in detonators, which are devices used to trigger larger explosions. * It is used in blasting caps, which are small explosive devices used to detonate larger charges in mining and demolition. * It was historically used in percussion caps, which were small cups of explosive used to ignite the propellant in firearms.
- The old munitions factory was carefully cleared due to the potential presence of unstable fulminate of mercury.
- Fulminate of mercury was a key component in early detonators before safer alternatives were developed.
- Handling dry fulminate of mercury requires extreme caution because of its sensitivity.
- The compound's sensitivity makes the phrase "as unstable as fulminate of mercury" a metaphor for a volatile or highly reactive situation or personality.
- In historical texts, it may be referred to simply as "fulminate" when the context clearly involves mercury or explosives, though this is chemically imprecise.
- Mercury(II) fulminate: The precise IUPAC chemical name.
- Fulminate (noun): The general class of chemical compounds with the reactive CNO⁻ group. Fulminate of mercury is a specific, famous example.
- Detonator, Blasting cap, Percussion cap: Devices that use or have used this compound.
- Primary explosive: The category of sensitive explosives to which fulminate of mercury belongs.
- Mercuric fulminate
- Mercury fulminate
Note: There are no standard idioms or phrasal verbs associated with this specific technical compound.
A chemist carefully handles a small sample of fulminate of mercury in a secure laboratory.
- a fulminate that when dry explodes violently if struck or heated; used in detonators and blasting caps and percussion caps