Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Why an ancient gold-based explosive makes purple smoke

Gold nanoparticles are confirmed as the source of the flamboyant colour of the smoke produced by fulminating gold.
Scientist Jan Maurycy Uszko at the fume hood in the process of doing the experiment. He is about to detonate a sample of fulminating gold by heating it from below, whilst holding an electron microscope sample grid above the sample, to catch the purple cloud of nanoparticles.

A copper mesh is held above a sample of fulminating gold to catch nanoparticles released when the material detonates. Credit: Jan Uszko

Experiments on a highly explosive substance called fulminating gold reveal why its detonation produces unusual purple smoke1.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 626, 459 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00316-0

References

  1. Uszko, J. M., Eichhorn, S. J., Patil, A. J. & Hall, S. R. Nanoscale Adv. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3NA01110K (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links