A field diagnostic test for the improvised explosive urea nitrate.
A sensitive, specific and simple color test for the improvised explosive urea nitrate is described. It is based on the formation of a red pigment upon the reaction between urea nitrate and p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (p-DMAC) under neutral conditions. Urea itself, which is the starting material for urea nitrate, does not react with p-DMAC under the same conditions. Other potential sources of false positive response e.g., common fertilizers, medications containing the urea moiety and various amines, do not produce the red pigment with p-DMAC. Exhibits collected from 10 terrorist cases have been tested with p-DMAC. The results were in full agreement with those obtained by instrumental techniques including GC/MS, XRD and IR.
Almog
Joseph
J
Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. Almog@vms.huji.ac.il
Klein
Asne
A
Tamiri
Tsippy
T
Shloosh
Yael
Y
Abramovich-Bar
Sara
S
D003124:Colorimetry; D005107:Explosions; D005308:Fertilizers / Q000032:analysis*; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000379:methods; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D009566:Nitrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D023481:Terrorism; D014508:Urea / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D005308:Fertilizers; D009566:Nitrates; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D014508:Urea