Comparison of the composition profiles of the low explosives in India from forensic exhibits and a brief discussion on preventive forensic techniques

摘要

More than 1650 pre blast and post blast exhibits were analyzed using routine analytical procedures supplemented by advanced analytical techniques like Ion-Chromatography (IC) (mainly), Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyzer (SEM-EDXA), Fourier Transforms Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Atomic Absorption Spectronieter (AAS) (for a number of samples) for inorganic constituents and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope (FTIR), Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spetrometry (LC/MS/MS) for organic constituents. Results of the investigations suggested that high explosives like nitroglycerine, di and tri nitrotoluene (DNT and TNT), tetryl, cyclonite (RDX), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were rarely used except in mortars and detonators. Common easily available unrestricted chemicals like potassium nitrate/chlorate (KNO3/KClO3), arsenic sulphide (As2S3), sulphur, aluminium powder of different mesh size and sodium, calcium, magnesium, barium, strontium (Na+, Ca+, Mg+, Ba+, Sr+) nitrate with varying compositions along with splinters were used.