ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 6 April 2005
Page Count: 5

A Field Diagnostic Test for the Improvised Explosive Urea Nitrate
Klein, A
Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,

Almog, J
Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,

Abramovich-Bar, S
Israel Police National HQ,

Tamiri, T
Israel Police National HQ,

Shloosh, Y
Israel Police National HQ,

(Received 16 July 2004; accepted 30 November 2004)

Abstract

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.

Keywords:
forensic science, field test, explosives, urea nitrate, color test, p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (p-DMAC), p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (p-DMAB)

Paper ID: JFS2004278
DOI: 10.1520/JFS2004278
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