ON DETONATING SILVER. 



the primitive ones in this crystal/which is very small, and 

 partly imbedded in its gangue, completely prevents me 

 from determining the nature of the shree different retro- 

 gradationSj to which they owe their existence. 



(To be continued in our next. J 



%37 



XIII. 



On Detonating Silver. By Mr. Descotils*. 



R. Figuier, prof, of chemistry at the Pharmaceutical Fulninating 

 School at Montpellier, has lately written to the authors of S1 v " r * 

 this collection a paper on detonating silver, in which, after 

 mentioning that Mr. Howard firfi: formed this compound, 

 which was afterward obtained in larger quantity by Mr, 

 Cruickshank,he points out a process for preparing it analo- 

 gous to that adopted by the latter gentleman. 



A paper already published in this Journal f contains Former pap?* 

 nearly similar results to those obtained by the professor of on the subject. 

 Montpellier, we shall therefore confine ourselves to the dif- 

 ferences mentioned in his observations. 



Mr. Figuier has seen the detonating silver explode even it explodes 

 amid the acid solution in which it is formed, when touched ">°>e readily 

 i inii tt i i-i •' "*i \ ii' i than i* usiaii/- 



by a hard body, lie has likewise detonated this compound 3U pp 0se d. 



when dry by simple friction with the. edge of a card. These 

 facts indicate a much greater degree of inflammability than 

 had been supposed, and must lead us to be more cautious 

 in preparing this substance. 



The professor has remarked, that detonating silver is not Notdecom- 

 decomposed by weak sulphuric acid, unless it has been pre- P° ied by weak 



..,.,-,. . sulphuricackh, 



viously dissolved in water. unless in sol« 



Caustic potash appeared to him merely to change its co- tion 

 i j i -A. ' * j • • •* r-x c i Norbypur* 



lour to a red, or a deep gray, without depriving it of its tub polas ]i. 



minating quality. This experiment, which I repeated, did 

 not afford me precisely the same result. After remaining a 

 considerable time in potash, the residuum gave only a slight 

 decrepitation, arising no doubt from the portions, on which 

 the potash had not yet acted. 



* Annalesde Chimie, vol LXHI, p. 104. 

 t Journal, vol, XVill, p. 140. 



XIV. 



