W. Garner, H. P. Hailes
Mar 3, 1933
Citations
0
Influential Citations
26
Citations
Journal
Proceedings of The Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Abstract
Mercury fulminate decomposes when heated below its ignition temperature in vacuum, giving (1) a gas which is mainly carbon dioxide and (2) a brown insoluble residue. This residue either has a very complex constitution or else is a mixture of several substances, for the gaseous products contain only 60 per cent. of the original oxygen in the fulminate. According to the experiments of Langhams, the residue behaves towards chemical reagents as if it were a mixture of Hg(OCN)CN with a little mercuric oxide. It follows, therefore, that the reaction which occurs on heating must be complex in character and occur in several stages. There is a very marked initial quiescent period in the decomposition of fulminate which is followed by a rapid acceleration of the decomposition. Farmer ascribes this acceleration to the production of a solid auto-catalyst. Also, since he found that finely powdered fulminate decomposed more rapidly than larger crystals, he concluded that the gas evolution is probably due to surface decomposition, although the increase in the rate of decomposition due to grinding was not so great as would have been expected from the increase in surface.