Fulminating Silver of Berthollet

Fulminating Silver of Berthollet. See Silver Amide under Amides A169-R... 

It seems that silver amide is identical with the compd previously known as fulminating silver of Berthollet (I argent fulminant de Berthollet in Fr and Bertholett schen Knallsilber in Ger), also called by Mellor (Ref 1) silver imide or silver nitride. This compd,... 

Fulminant d argent (ou L argent fulminant de Berthollet. Fr for Fulminating (or Detonating) Silver of Berthollet... 

Fulminating silver was prepared in 1788 by Berthollet who precipitated a solution of nitrate of silver by means of lime water, dried the precipitated silver oxide, treated it with strong ammonia water which converted it into a black powder, decanted the liquid, and left the powder to dry in the open air. Fulminating silver is more sensitive to shock and friction than fulminating gold. It explodes when touched it must not be enclosed in a bottle or transferred from place to place, but must be left in the vessel, or better upon the paper, where it was allowed to dry. 

Berthollet s fulminating silver is produced by addition of alcohol to a concentrated solution of silver monoxide in ammonium hydroxide. It forms small, black crystals, exploded by friction, and soluble in potassium-cyanide solution. It probably has the formula NAgs or NAgH2 2 and it has no connexion with silver fulminate, C.-N.O.Ag. 

C,L.Berthollet,CfellAnn 2,390(1788) (Action of ammonia on silver oxide produced an extremely sensitive compd named "fulminating silver ) (See next ref) 2)F.Raschig, (Liebig s)Ann 233,93-101(1886) (2ur Kenntniss des Berthollet schen Knallsilbers) (Investigation of Berthollet s fulminating silver showed that it is Ag,N) 3)M.Berthelot... 

Berthollet recognised in 1788 that in several cases if metals when oxygenated function in the manner of alkalis with acids, they will behave as acids towards alkalis . He obtained solid calcium plumbite by boiling litharge with lime water, discovered fulminating silver from silver oxide and ammonia, obtained triple salts of mercury, and found that mercury oxide combined with lime, and he says that Lavoisier had obtained crystals from a solution of mercuric oxide in ammonia. Berthollet prepared pure caustic potash by solution in alcohol and evaporation. ... 

An altogether different product, known as Berthollet s detonating silver (which is not a fulminate), is obtained when a solution of freshly precipitated silver oxide in ammonia is allowed to evaporate. Its probable formula is Ag3N. It is highly sensitive and explodes even during the evaporation of the ammoniacal solution. 

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