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Explosives detection: a challenge for physical chemistry
1Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. jisteinf@mit.edu
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry
|March 12, 2004
Summary
This review covers advanced detection methods for explosives and energetic materials. It highlights optical and mass spectrometry, and chromatography for rapid trace detection and fragment analysis.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Explosives detection is crucial for security, demining, unexploded ordnance identification, and environmental monitoring.
- The field involves complex physical chemistry challenges and diverse detection methodologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current techniques for detecting trace amounts of explosives and energetic materials.
- To focus on methods providing short response times for practical applications.
- To examine the detection of decomposition fragments and available molecular data for explosive compounds.
Main Methods:
- Optical Spectrometry
- Mass Spectrometry
- Chromatography
- Analysis of decomposition fragments
Main Results:
- Review of various analytical techniques for explosives detection.
- Emphasis on methods suitable for trace analysis and rapid identification.
- Compilation of molecular data where available for explosive compounds.
Conclusions:
- Advanced spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques are key for effective explosives detection.
- Short response times and fragment analysis are critical for security and safety applications.
- Further research into molecular data can enhance detection capabilities.