Bomb Sniffers

Chemists have developed sensors that detect explosives before they can be detonated.

15:58 29 December 2015

The suicide bombers in the Paris attacks used an explosive called triacetone triperoxide (TATP), which is a combination of chemicals widely available in pharmacies and hardware stores. Such an explosive has been used by suicide bombers around the world, from Palestinians in the West Bank to the “shoe bomber” Richard Reid.

 

Chemists have developed sensors that can detect this type of explosive before it can be detonated.

 

Dr. Kenneth Suslick, professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois, said: "Anyone who could follow a recipe to make a pumpkin pie could follow the recipe to make TATP.”

 

Chemists will be able to detect the explosive through its physical characteristic known as vapour pressure. As TATP easily becomes gas, a suicide bomber wearing a vest that contains it should emit enough gaseous particles to set off the alarm on a sensor.

 

Dr Otto Gregory, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rhode Island, has developed another technology to detect TATP. Funded by the US Department of Homeland Security, his project uses a sensor that employs a tin oxide catalyst. When it interacts with TATP, it produces heat that is easily detected by the sensor.