Sodium fulminate

Any commercial application of sodium or other alkali-metal fulminates is unknown. They are formed by the reactions of alkali-metal salts with nitric acid and ethanol. Sodium fulminate is highly sensitive to shock and heat. It explodes when warmed or lightly touched with a spatula or a glass rod. It forms a double salt with mercuric fulminate, which is unstable and explodes readily. 

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Isoxazole-5-carbaldehyde was prepared by the manganese dioxide oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylisoxazole (67T4697), the latter being formed from sodium fulminate and propargyl alcohol in greater than 90% yield. 

Cadmium fulminate Copper fulminate Dimethylthallium fulminate Diphenylthallium fulminate Mercury(ll) mothyinitrolate Mercury(ll) formhydroxamatc Mercury(ll) fulminate Silver fulminate Sodium fulminate Thallium fulminate... 

The ac/-sodium salt, normally crystallising with one molecule of ethanol and stable, will explode if moistened with water. This is due to liberation of heat and conversion to sodium fulminate [1]. After several uneventful similar operations, during the destruction of excess sodium salt by pouring water onto it, a violent explosion occurred [2], A safer procedure would be to add the salt in small portions to a bulk of stirred ice-water. 

Even sodium fulminate detonates when touched lightly with a glass rod. 

Copper(I)-sodium Fulminate, Na[Cu(ONC)al Copper(l)-strontium Fulminate, Sr[Cu(ONC)4],... 

Ref 5, p 408) shows why fulminic acid has monomolecular formula (See here under Sodium Fulminate)... 

Copper(l)-disodium Fulminate, Na2 [Cu(CNO)3] 3H20 col ndls turning bluish under influence of light expl on heating and can be initiated but more difficultly than copper(I)-sodium fulminate,... 

Copper(l)-sodium Fulminate, Na [ Cu(CNOz)] col crysts (from hot w), expl more violently than disodium salt on heating or impact. Was prepd by treating dil Na fulminate soln with cuprous chloride at 80°(Ref 1 Ref 2, pp 2754-55) Copper(l)strontium Fulminate, Sr [Cu(CN0)4]t 2HjO col microscopic crysts, expl violently on heating or on impact. Was prepd by warming Sr fulminate in w with cuprous chloride. Sr fulminate was obtd by shaking Sr amalgam with Hg fulminate in w (Ref 1 Ref 2, p 2755)... 

Copper (I) - sodium Fulminate. See under Copper (I) Fulminate Explosive. Complexes... 

The only directly accessible metal fulminates are those of mercury(II) and silver(I), very dangerously exposive solids obtained by the action of nitric acid and ethanol on the metals or their salts. Most modern preparations of fulminato complexes involve the conversion of a known amount of mercury fulminate into aqueous sodium fulminate by the action of sodium amalgam and ice-cold water the sodium fulminate solution is then allowed to react with the appropriate amount of a transition metal salt, and the resulting complex fulminato ion is precipitated as the salt of a large cation, most frequently Ph4As+ or R4N+ these are not explosive,4,35 Alkali and alkaline earth metal salts containing complex fulminato anions may be isolated from aqueous solutions, but they are reported to be as exposive as the binary silver and mercury fulminates, and are therefore usually avoided. 

Other aqueous preparative methods include aerial oxidation of an alkaline solution of CoS04 and NaCNO to give the fulminatocobaltate(III) anion [Co(CNO)6]3-, reduction of ruthenate(VI) by excess of fulminate to give [Ru(CNO)6]4, and displacement of 2,2 -bipyridyl or 1,10-phenan-throline from nickel(II) or cobalt(III) complexes to give [Ni(CNO)4]2 or [Co(CNO)6]3. Liquid ammonia may replace water as solvent [Ni(NH3) ]2+ and [Co(NH3)6]3+, for example, react with sodium fulminate in this solvent to form [Ni(CNO)4]2 and [Co(CNO)6]3. In all these reactions fulminate behaves very like cyanide with [AuClJ-, however, reduction to form the gold(I) complex [Au(CNO)2] takes place and no gold(III) complex can be isolated. 

Sodium fulminate, soluble in water, has a molecular weight which corresponds8 to the simple monomolecular formula, NaONC. These facts, taken together with the fact that mercury fulminate warmed with concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid yields hy-droxylamine and formic acid,9 prove that fulminic acid is the oxime of carbon monoxide. 

The nitro-methanes contact with the caustic soda probably created a highly unstable sodium fulminate. The explosion occurred after about 1600 gallons of the solvent had been successfully neutralized. 

This substance was obtained for the first time by Nef in 1894 by the action of sodium fulminate on hydrochloric acid. It was prepared by Scholl in a similar manner ... 

A solution of sodium fulminate cooled to 0° C. is allowed to drop into 150 ml. of an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid (i part water and i of cone, hydrochloric acid) also at 0° C. It is immediately extracted three times with ether and distilled (Nef). 

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