Forsyth, Alexander

Mercury fulminate was first prepared in the 17th century by the Swedish-German alchemist, Baron Johann Kunkel von Lowenstern. He obtained this dangerous explosive by treating mercury with nitric acid and alcohol. At that time, Kunkel and other alchemists could not find a use for the explosive and the compound became forgotten until Edward Howard of England rediscovered it between 1799 and 1800. Howard examined the properties of mercury fulminate and proposed its use as a percussion initiator for blackpowder and in 1807 a Scottish Clergyman, Alexander Forsyth patented the device. 

Ignition of the propellant was a major problem from the introduction of gunpowder in the early fourteenth century until the development of a percussion primer by a Scottish clergyman, the Reverend Alexander John Forsyth,... 

According to many writers, the Reverend Alexander Forsyth studied a group of chemical compounds called metallic fulminates whose existence had been known from 1800. It was also known that they exploded with a flash when struck a sharp blow with a hard object. In 1805, he applied this property of metallic fulminates to firearms ignition, thereby inventing the percussion system of ignition. 

In 1805 the Reverend Alexander Forsyth used mercury fulminate as the basis of his primer composition, and from this time the percussion system developed into today s highly reliable, universally used, percussion primer compositions. This development which started in 1805 still continues today, and manufacturers are very reluctant to release details of their compositions. 

Scottish cleric Alexander Forsyth (1767-1843) discovers mercury fulminate. 

Additionally, of course, the research group that initiated this work under the leadership of George Coraor, namely, Lawrence Cescon, Robert Cohen, Catharine Looney, Alexander Maclachlan, Peter Strilko, Charles Yembrick, and later Ed Abramson, John Caspar, John Neumer and Garrett Forsythe contributed significantly. The contributions to the development of markets by John DeCampi, Philip Botsolas, Lawrence Friar and William Wartell were outstanding. 

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