Silver fulminate is a primary explosive, but has limited use as such due to its extreme sensitivity to impact, heat, pressure, and electricity.

The compound becomes progressively sensitive as it is aggregated, even in small amounts; the touch of a falling feather, the impact of a single water droplet, or a small static discharge are all capable of explosively detonating an unconfined pile of silver fulminate no larger than a dime and no heavier than a few milligrams.

Aggregating larger quantities is impossible, due to the compound's tendency to self-detonate under its own weight.

Silver fulminate occurs in two polymorphic forms, an orthorhombic one and a trigonal one with a rhombohedral lattice.

[3] This compound can be prepared by pouring a solution of silver nitrate in nitric acid into ethanol, under careful control of the reaction conditions, to avoid an explosion.

Silver fulminate, often in combination with potassium chlorate, is used in trick noise-makers known as "throw-downs", "crackers", "snappers", "whippersnappers", "pop-its", or "bang snaps", a popular type of novelty firework.

Snaps are designed to be incapable of producing damage (even when detonated against skin) due to the buffering effect provided by the much greater mass of the gravel medium.