Analysis of homemade peroxide-based explosives in water: A review

Michel, Pierre; Boudenne, Jean‐Luc; Robert‐Peillard, Fabien; Coulomb, Bruno

doi:10.1016/j.trac.2022.116884

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 64 publications

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“…2-Butanone peroxide, also known as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP), triacetone triperoxide (TATP), and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HTMD) , are the most common of the peroxide-based primary high explosives . Peroxide-based explosives are rather sensitive to heat, shock, and friction and therefore are especially dangerous explosives to handle. − MEKP has a TNT equivalency of approximately 50%, , which is in the range of reported values for other primary high explosives, such as TATP, lead azide, and mercury fulminate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of 2-Butanone Peroxide Oligomeric Profiles and Their Associated Gas-Phase and Solution-Phase Rearrangement Products by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Forensic Applications

Bain,

Stutzman,

Pannuto

et al. 2024

J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom.

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2-Butanone peroxide (also known as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, MEKP) has applications as a cross-linker in the chemical industry and is also encountered as a homemade primary high explosive; therefore, it is of interest to both process chemists and forensic examiners. Specifically for forensic applications, we demonstrate that when traditional synthetic procedures, available to any hobbyist, are utilized to generate MEKP, oligomeric peroxide units (n ≤ 12), along with several other oligomeric byproduct distributions, are readily observed by liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry (LC-MS). These oligomeric byproducts correspond to the formation of methyl/ethyl ketone end group(s) at the oligomer end group (i.e., loss of ethanol(s) and/or methanol(s) from the oligomer termini). Based on the interpretation of the MS and MS/ MS behavior along with the characterization of newly generated terminal alkyl ketone products, we propose that these byproducts are consistent with a Hock-like rearrangement of the primary MEKP distribution in the acidified reaction medium. Following a procedure for homemade preparation, triplicate lots were synthesized. Unique oligomeric and byproduct distributions provided discriminatory power between the synthetic lots. Furthermore, the distributions of MEKP oligomers and the various byproducts in the initiated MEKP match the intensity distributions observed in the intact material with remarkable accuracy. This observation suggests that the postinitiation residue of MEKP could be associated or dissociated from a separately collected intact material obtained during an investigation by examining these oligomeric and byproduct profiles.

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