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mercury fulminate

American  

noun

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


Etymology

Origin of mercury fulminate

First recorded in 1900–05


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Atrebates to Bedlis by Various

Pure mercury fulminate may be kept an indefinite length of time.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

The product obtained, which is mercury fulminate, is 112 per cent. of the mercury employed.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

The observation that acetylene can be resolved into its constituents by detonation is due to Berthelot, who started an explosive wave in it by firing a charge of 0.1 gram of mercury fulminate.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

They're lined with mercury fulminate, and you want to take your shoes off when you come near that.

From For Jacinta by Harold Bindloss

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