mongo blongo
Frequent Poster
Posts: 160
From: I live in a Creosote Bush!
Registered: JUN 2001
posted 06-19-2001 07:05 PM
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i rember doing a test for aldehydes a few weeks back in college. it involved using tollen's reagent(a mixture of silver nitrate,sodium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide) and i remember my teacher saying that this mixture frequently forms a highly explosive compound on standing and should never attempt to evapourate this soloution to dryness. is this true?
if so what is it called and how powerfull is it?
how sensitive is it?
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i like blowing shit up



Fallout85
Frequent Poster
Posts: 55
From: U.S.
Registered: MAY 2001
posted 06-20-2001 05:16 AM
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Your talking about fulminating silver. Mind you, not silver fulminate. The sodium hydroxide reacts with the silver nitrate to form silver oxide and sodium nitrate. The silver oxide then reacts with the ammonium hydroxide to form fulminating silver. It isn't very practical though because it is very sensitive to the smallest movement and slight heating. I have had a few bad experiences with this substance like exploding on the filter paper. It created a nice little hole in my table top. My advice is to avoid it. If you feel you must play with it exercise saftey and work with small amounts (like a few grains or less). It is of no real use other than cheap entertainment.


nbk2000
Moderator
Posts: 1096
From: Guess
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 06-20-2001 03:53 PM
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Not to mention the $5 an ounce ($90/pound)cost of silver. Too expensive for anything practical.

The explosive compound is often quoted as being Ag2NH or Ag3N.

Ag2O + 4NH3 + H2O --> 2[Ag(NH3)2]+ + 2OH-
And when evaporated the complex does not decomposes to form ammonia. It says in the book 'Inorganic Chemistry and Applications Volume II' (Book is in Turkish) "it is supposed that the complex is isostructural with AgNH2 or Ag3N"