Preparation
This compound can be prepared by the reaction of concentrated nitric acid with silver metal and ethanol, under careful control of the reaction conditions, to avoid explosion. Only very tiny amounts of silver fulminate should be prepared at once, as even the weight of the crystals can cause them to self-detonate.
Silver fulminate can be prepared unintentionally, when an acidic solution of silver nitrate comes in contact with alcohol. This is a hazard in the chemical silvering of mirrors.
Read more about this topic: Silver Fulminate
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