Vapor Generation for Use in Explosive Portal Detection Devices

EXPLOSIVES DETECTION: A Challenge for Physical Chemistry

“…Vapor Generators Several groups (50,51) have evaluated the use of the collector or preconcentrator of their sampling system as a calibrated pulsed source of explosives vapor. In this application, known solid particle weights or dried solution volumes can be deposited and then thermally desorbed into the detection device.…”

Comment on “Tunable Generation and Adsorption of Energetic Compounds in the Vapor Phase at Trace Levels: A Tool for Testing and Developing Sensitive and Selective Substrates for Explosive Detection”

“…The generation of explosive vapors from solid samples at controlled temperatures goes back over 3 decades. − Thus, there is a substantial history in the development of explosives vapor generators, although some of this literature is in government or institutional reports rather than the peer-reviewed literature . Vapor generators have also been described based on known masses or mass flows derived from the vaporization of solution standards of known concentration or the thermal desorption of known masses originally deposited from solution. − Some references for explosives vapor generators have been summarized in Moore’s review of explosives detection instrumentation and Yinon’s book on explosives detection . A comprehensive review of vapor generators for explosives has been published recently .…”

“…A number of pulsed vapor generators for RDX and PETN have also been described, − ,,, including a generator from Idaho National Engineering Laboratories that was described in Analytical Chemistry in 1993 . This last example used explosives dispersed on a solid support as a source to generate saturated vapor concentrations that could be delivered in 5-s pulses using an automated flow control system.…”