Chemist Justus von Liebig discovered a different compound with the same elemental composition (one silver, one carbon, one nitrogen, one oxygen) that was highly explosive.

Chemist Friedrich Wöhler discovered a beige powder made of one silver, one carbon, one nitrogen, and one oxygen atom, which was stable.

Silver fulminate is explosive because its single bond between oxygen and nitrogen is very easy to break, allowing atoms to rearrange into more stable gases.