Potassium fulminate

Potassium fulminate is the potassium salt of the fulminate ion. Its only use, aside from chemical demonstrations, is in the percussion caps for some early rifles. Usually prepared by reacting a potassium amalgam with mercury fulminate, it is much less sensitive due to the ionic bond between potassium and carbon, unlike the covalent bond between mercury and carbon.

See also

• List of explosives
• Fulminic acid
• Fulminate
• Silver fulminate
• Mercury(II) fulminate
• Potassium cyanate