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What's in Vial No. 3?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

Walter C. McCrone
Walter C. McCrone*
Affiliation:
McCrane Research Institute

Extract

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Last weekend I taught a special two-day course on the identification of explosives to a young lady from San Salvador. She is a forensic mrcroscopist newly assigned to the "Bomb Squad". Her problem was to determine what explosives were used after terrorist bombings. Fortunately, some small particles of the explosive substance usually remain after a detonating. Careful examination of a bomb crater or of bomb fragments usually uncovers these tiny residues.

My problem was to teach her the microscopical characteristics of the most likely explosives she might encounter. These include common inorganic nitrates, chlorates and percholorates and less common organic (military) explosives such as TNT, RDX, HMX, PETN and tetryl.

Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy Today , Volume 3 , Issue 5 , June 1995 , pp. 20 - 21
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 1995

References

1. Hopen, Thomas; Kilbourn, John. “Characterization and Identification of Water-Soluble Explosives“; The Microscope 1985, 33, 1–22.Google Scholar
2. Kilbourn, John; and McCrone, Walter. “Fusion Methods Identification of Inorganic Explosives“; The Microscope 1986, 34, 107–118.Google Scholar
3. McCrone, Walter “Solubility, Recrystallization and Microchemical Tests on Nanogram Single Particles“; The Microscope 1986, 34, 107–118.Google Scholar
4. Walter, McCrone, Andreen, J.H., and Sien-Moo, Tsang “Identification of Organic High Explosives“; The Microscope 1993, 41, 161–182.Google Scholar
5. Chamot, Ernile; Mason, Clyde. Handbook of Chemical Microscopy , Vol. II, Wiley; New York 1940; reprinted by McCrone Research Institute; Chicago, 1989.Google Scholar