Some Detection Procedures for Liquid Explosives

Abstract

The work is focused on the possibilities to minimize the danger of misusing liquid explosives for terrorist attacks. Several detectors of explosives are described here, including their working principles, capable of detecting some liquid explosives. The results of experiments accomplished using several detection procedures are presented, reliability and detection limits are considered.

Detection of liquid explosives by means of the agents producing colour reactions on contact with explosives was studied and the results obtained with some improvised liquid explosives were evaluated. Special attention was paid to liquid explosives consisting of a mixture of nitro groups containing aliphatic compounds, or nitrates with other components and, as another group, emulsion and slurry explosives. The colour reactions seem to be able to provide warning signal for a wide range of such liquid explosives, where standard detection techniques often are not very effective.