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

The trip wire activated a stun grenade—a small device filled with a mixture of magnesium powder and mercury fulminate.

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

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

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

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

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