Fulminate

Fulminate

Identifiers
CAS Number	28269-67-2 N
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChEBI	CHEBI:29811 Y
ChemSpider	11854
Gmelin Reference	239442
PubChem CID	12360
InChI InChI=1S/CNO/c1-2-3/q-1 Y Key: FEWJPZIEWOKRBE-UHFFFAOYSA-L Y InChI=1S/CNO/c1-2-3/q-1 Key: USXDFAGDIOXNML-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES [C-]#[N+][O-]
Properties
Chemical formula	CNO−
Molar mass	42.018 g·mol−1
Conjugate acid	Fulminic acid
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Fulminates are chemical compounds which include the fulminate ion (CNO⁻, C⁻≡N⁺−O⁻). The fulminate ion is a pseudohalic ion because its charge and reactivity are similar to those of the halogens. The name is derived from the Latin fulminātus, meaning to explode like lightning, and reflects that fulminate salts are friction-sensitive explosives due to the instability of the ion. The best known is mercury(II) fulminate, which has been used as a primary explosive in detonators. Fulminates can be formed from metals, such as silver and mercury, dissolved in nitric acid, and reacted with ethanol. The weak single nitrogen-oxygen bond is responsible for their instability. Nitrogen very easily forms a stable triple bond to another nitrogen atom, forming nitrogen gas.