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Have you ever thought about how a crime laboratory analyzes bulk explosives or debris collected from the site of an explosion to identify and determine the origin of the explosive? For organic explosives such as nitroglycerin (NG) or trinitrotoluene (TNT), HPLC and GC/MS are used routinely by many forensic laboratories. However, for inorganic explosives, the methods used by most forensic laboratories are chemical spot tests and X-ray powder diffraction. We have found that these traditional methods for analyzing inorganic explosives have serious limitations for analyzing modern explosives. This has become a significant problem in recent years because commercial users of explosives are increasingly turning to ammonium-nitrate-based (AN) explosives to replace NG dynamites in their blasting operations. Primarily through thefts, AN explosives have found their way into the hands of terrorists and criminals, who use them to commit murder, extortion, and terrorism. The FBI Laboratory estimates that over the past three years, 60% of its bombing cases involved either AN explo-sives or pyrotechnic formulations with ionic ingredients. Modern AN ExplosivesThe forensic chemist most often encounters cap-sensitive explosives, also known as dynamites (i.e., explosive formulations that can be initiated by a No. 8 blasting cap without the aid of a high-explosive booster). The most popular types are the slurry explosives, also called slurries or water gels. These are mixtures of doughlike consistency that contain primarily AN dissolved in water along with some additional undissolved AN. Sodium nitrate is often added as an oxidizer, and some type of fuel (which can be a combination of hydrocarbons, aluminum, and cellulosic or carbonaceous material) is required. All cap-sensitive

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