274. Professor Davy’s Account of a new Fulminating Silver. 
sweet, but which presently becomes sharp and enduring, somewhat resembling that of 
cayenne pepper. It is soluble in water, has no bleaching, but some acid properties, 
and may deserve farther examination. 
It would seem from the foregoing results, that when the new fulminating silver is 
exposed to the action of chlorine gas, it is decompounded, chloride of silver is formed ; 
one part of the fulminic acid combines with that gas to form the peculiar compound 
just referred to, whilst the other part is decomposed, and affords by the reunion of its 
elements, sal-ammoniac. It seems probable, too, that carbonic acid gas and nitrogene, 
are at the same time evolved. 
The action of chlorine gas on the new fulminating silver, is uniformly accompanied 
with flame ; this circumstance and the formation of ammonia above noticed, seem to 
favour the opinion I have advanced in the papers already referred to, that hydrogene 
enters into the composition of the fulminic acid. 
The new fulminating silver, besides its use as a test for chlorine, might I think be 
employed with advantage as a substitute for Howard’s fulminating mercury in the 
caps for percussion locks, which are now so much approved, and getting into such ge- 
neral use as threaten to supersede the common lock. The strong springs required in 
the percussion locks in which Howard’s fulminating compound is used, are objection- 
able. The new fulminating silver requires much less percussive force to explode it 
than Howard's fulminating mercury ; nor is the effect of the explosion of the former, 
accompanied with that loud, and almost deafening report, of the latter compound. 
From the known analogies existing between chlorine and bromine, the vapour of 
the latter might be expected to explode the test, as well as the former ; and this I find 
is the case. Thus, on putting a few drops of bromine into a small stoppered bottle, 
and dropping in a bit of the test; it immediately exploded in the vapour, and the ex- 
periment was repeatedly tried at different intervals in the same bottle, with the same 
result. The test does not explode when brought in contact with iodine, either at 
the common temperature of the air, or when it is raised in vapour by heat. 
