THE pop pop snappersalso called “spring onions”, “paper balls” or “greaves”, are small firecrackers which, when slammed on the ground with sufficient force, cause a small explosion. These paper balls are widely used for New Year’s Eve celebrations, but how exactly do they work?
If we open one, we discover that there are some inside pebbles and one gray powder. Dust is the explosive component of these firecrackers and contains fulminated with silvera substance whose chemical formula is AgCNO. The silver fulminate molecule is therefore made up of a silver atom (Ag), a carbon atom (C), a nitrogen atom (N) and an oxygen atom (O) bonded together.
When you throw a pop pop snapper on the ground, the pebbles contained within rub against each other, generating friction and therefore heat. It is precisely this heat that activates the chemical reaction which causes the firecracker to explode:
2 AgCNO → 2 CO + N2 + 2 Ag
Essentially, two molecules of silver fulminate react with each other to form two molecules of carbon monoxide (CO), a molecule of diatomic nitrogen (No2) and two atoms of silver (Ag). Carbon monoxide and diatomic nitrogen are gaswhich once formed they expand thus causing a small explosion. What remains at the end of the reaction is pure silverthat is, the only non-gaseous product, albeit in tiny quantities.
Incidentally, the functioning of these firecrackers is completely similar to what is seen in the famous scene of breaking Bad in which Walter White detonates a compound similar to silver fulminate, the Mercury fulminatejust throwing it to the ground, causing a decidedly remarkable explosion!
