NEF. — BIVALENT CARBON. 167 



fulminate comes down iu very fine colorless needles. Liebig and 

 Gay-Lussac* have regarded this precipitate as " acide fulminique/' 

 QliAgNaO^, which is incorrect. 



0.2097 gram substance, dried over H2SO4 in a vacuum, gave 0.1988 

 gram AgCl. 



Theory for AgONC, Found. 



Ag 72.00 71.37 



That silver fulminate, and not "acide fulminique," CgHAgNgOa, 

 is always formed on treating the double salt AgONC, KONC, with 

 nitric acid, was further proved by making the double salt from silver 

 fulminate (made in the ordinary way from silver, nitric acid, and alco- 

 hol), and treating it as above, with nitric acid. 



0.2129 gram substance, dried over H2SO4 in a vacuum, gave 0.2031 

 gram AgCl. 



Theory for AgONC. Found. 



Ag 72.00 71.80 



The conclusion of Liebig and Gay-Lussac that the fulminic acid 

 molecule contains two hydrogen atoms, possessing entirely different 

 functions, is therefore not justifiable. In exactly the same way as 

 cyanide of potash gives with silver cyanide a soluble double salt, 

 AgN : C, KN : C, the entirely analogously constituted silver ful- 

 minate gives with potassic fulminate a corresponding double salt, 

 AgOX : C, KON : C. The analogy between the salts of fulminic 

 acid and those of prussic acid is altogether a surprisingly close one, — 

 which can now hardly be considered strange, because both these acids 

 are quite analogous derivatives of isocyanogen. It will be shown fur- 

 ther on that a double salt, sodium ferrofulmiuate, Na4Fe (ON : C)(5, 

 exists, corresponding thus in every respect to the yellow prussiate of 

 soda, sodic ferrocyanide, NaiFe (N : C),-,. The physiological proper- 

 ties of the soluble prussic acid salts, MN : C, and those of the soluble 

 fulminic acid salts, MON : C, are so much alike that it is impossible, 

 as far as we now know, to distinguish between them. Schischkoff 

 is only one of the many observers who have worked with salts of 

 fulminic acid who observed the poisonous properties of these salts (the 

 enormous explosive properties are mentioned by all). He remarks:! 

 " Die Knallsauresalze sind ganz so giftig wie die Cyanmetalle. 

 Die Heftigkeit der Wirkung hangt von der Loslichkeit ab, aber 



* Annales de Chim. et fie Phys., XXIV. 302, XXV. 289. 

 t Ann. Cliem. (Liebig), Suppl. Vol., I. 109. 



