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- Title
- THE FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF TRIACETONE TRIPEROXIDE (TATP) PRECURSORS AND SYNTHETIC BY-PRODUCTS.
- Creator
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Painter, Kimberly, Sigman, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) is a primary high explosive that can be synthesized using commercially available starting materials and has grown in use among terrorists over the past several years. Additives present in the precursors were investigated to see if they carry through the TATP synthesis and can be detected in the final product potentially aiding in the identification of the source. Additives identified in the acetones were also identified in pre-blast and in some post-blast samples...
Show moreTriacetone Triperoxide (TATP) is a primary high explosive that can be synthesized using commercially available starting materials and has grown in use among terrorists over the past several years. Additives present in the precursors were investigated to see if they carry through the TATP synthesis and can be detected in the final product potentially aiding in the identification of the source. Additives identified in the acetones were also identified in pre-blast and in some post-blast samples. However, these additives are present in trace quantities relative to the TATP, which coupled with the volatility and short lifetimes of some of the additives in TATP samples limit their detection in pre-blast and post-blast material. TATP prepared with different acids in the laboratory could generally be discriminated by observing the change in composition of the headspace of the samples upon heating and by IMS analysis of the crystals. The analysis of TATP synthesized on a larger scale was compared to the laboratory results of pre-blast material and post-blast debris. As in the laboratory samples, organic additives were also detected in the large-scale pre-blast samples and the identification of the additives in post-blast debris was consistent with the results obtained in the laboratory detonations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002942, ucf:47983
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002942
- Title
- DEVELOPMENT OF REDUCTIVE METAL SYSTEMS FOR THE DEGRADATION OF ENERGETIC COMPOUNDS (TATP, TNT, AND RDX).
- Creator
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Albo, Rebecca, Geiger, Cherie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a cyclic peroxide explosive, is frequently used by terrorists and amateur chemists due to the ease of synthesis and the availability of reagents. TATP is extremely sensitive to shock, heat, and friction thus a safe and rapid method for treating TATP is needed. The major objective of this dissertation was to develop in situ methodologies that could safely degrade TATP in various field situations using reductive metal systems. The reductive metal systems tested...
Show moreTriacetone triperoxide (TATP), a cyclic peroxide explosive, is frequently used by terrorists and amateur chemists due to the ease of synthesis and the availability of reagents. TATP is extremely sensitive to shock, heat, and friction thus a safe and rapid method for treating TATP is needed. The major objective of this dissertation was to develop in situ methodologies that could safely degrade TATP in various field situations using reductive metal systems. The reductive metal systems tested included zero-valent iron, activated magnesium systems, and magnesium bimetals, such as Mg/Pd. TATP degradation rates with the different reactive systems were calculated to test their effectiveness. The major product for the TATP decomposition was determined as acetone, and a carbon material balance was calculated to determine each reactive system's conversion efficiency. The mechanism of TATP degradation using these reactive metal/bimetal particles was also explored including reaction pathway, intermediates, and activation energies. In addition to investigating the use of zero-valent metals to degrade TATP, studies were also conducted on the use of certain metal and semimetal ionic species. Antimony (III) ions in antimony (III) chloride were found to have the greatest effect on TATP concentration. The Sb3+ was theorized to instantaneously cleave the ring structure of the TATP molecule forming a Sb3+ complex; thus Sb3+systems could be used to successfully treat TATP. In order to treat TATP in the field, the metal and bimetal reactive particles were combined with an application technology, liquid membrane systems, to form emulsified zero-valent metal (EZVM) systems. EZVM systems containing the reactive metal/bimetal particles were made from an organic outer layer, water, and a nonionic surfactant. The EZVM systems were observed to absorb and dissolve the TATP into the emulsion droplets where TATP degradation then occurred. EZVM systems would be ideal for degrading dry TATP residues that might be found on a carpet, door entrance, steel, concrete, plastics, etc. Other studies focused on the use of microscale mechanically alloyed bimetals, particularly Mg/Pd, Fe/Pd, and Fe/Ni, as alternative remediation methods for the catalytic reduction of 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and 1, 3, 5-trimethylene-2, 4, 6-trinitramine (RDX). All the bimetals tested were shown to reduce TNT and RDX contamination in water samples, with varying reactivities under ambient reaction conditions. These metal systems could be combined with EZVM or paste treatment systems (bimetallic treatment systems (BTS)) for the in situ treatment of these environmental contaminants.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003332, ucf:48476
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003332
- Title
- Tandem Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Ammonium and Sodium Oligoperoxide Adducts with the Application of Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy and Computational Chemistry.
- Creator
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Frisch, Jessica, Sigman, Michael, Fookes, Barry, Hampton, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Oligoperoxides, H[OO(CH3)2C]nOOH, are formed as side products in the synthesis of the primary high explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP). Previous tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) experiments using a quadrupole ion trap reported that the open-chained oligoperoxide adducts of ammonium or sodium resulted in different product ions in the mass spectra. Dissociation mechanisms were previously proposed based on MSn experiments, where n(>)2; however, a dissociation pathway achieved by an MSn...
Show moreOligoperoxides, H[OO(CH3)2C]nOOH, are formed as side products in the synthesis of the primary high explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP). Previous tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) experiments using a quadrupole ion trap reported that the open-chained oligoperoxide adducts of ammonium or sodium resulted in different product ions in the mass spectra. Dissociation mechanisms were previously proposed based on MSn experiments, where n(>)2; however, a dissociation pathway achieved by an MSn experiment, where n(>)2, may not necessarily be the same pathway achieved in an MS2 experiment. For this dissertation research, the collision induced dissociation pathways were investigated for the open-chained oligoperoxides in MS2 experiments utilizing a quadrupole ion trap. Tandem mass spectral experiments were performed for the open-chained oligoperoxides ranging from the trimer to the octamer (n=3-8), including both ammonium and sodium adducts. The dissociation pathways were proposed as a result of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy applied to the mass spectral data, which was referred to as two-dimensional correlation mass spectrometry (2D-CMS). The 2D-CMS method was first validated by analysis of simple and more complex kinetic models followed by simple and more complex molecules. To further aid in the elucidation of the dissociation mechanisms, computational chemistry was performed for the optimization of stable precursor and product ion structures and calculations of their relative energies and adduct dissociation energies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004377, ucf:49371
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004377
