Sublimation Hazard
Definition
The tendency of TATP and HMTD to convert directly from solid to vapour at ambient temperature and pressure, reducing residue availability at post-blast scenes over time and requiring rapid collection and refrigerated transport to the laboratory.
- Affected compounds
- TATP, HMTD
- Mechanism
- Solid-to-vapour transition at ambient temperature
- Consequence
- Reduced residue availability over time
- Mitigation
- Rapid collection and refrigerated transport
Common questions
Why does sublimation matter more for post-blast investigation than for a bulk explosive sample?+
At a post-blast scene, the explosive is already dispersed as small residue particles with a high surface area, so sublimation removes it much faster than it would from a bulk quantity. Delays in collection at that stage can mean the target compound has largely vanished from swabs by the time they reach the laboratory.
Does refrigeration fully stop the sublimation loss?+
It slows it substantially rather than stopping it outright, since sublimation rate depends on vapour pressure, which falls at lower temperature but does not reach zero. That is why protocols pair refrigeration with minimising the time between collection and laboratory analysis.
Related terms
- Ammonium Adduct [M + NH4]+
- The dominant ionisation form of TATP in positive-mode ESI LC-MS when ammonium acetate or formate is present in the mobile phase. TATP...
- ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil)
- A low-sensitivity bulk explosive mixture of prilled ammonium nitrate (94 per cent by weight) and fuel oil (6 per cent). The primary...
- EU Regulation 2019/1148
- The European Union regulation on the marketing and use of explosive precursors, restricting public access to hydrogen peroxide above 12%, nitric acid...
- HMTD (Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine)
- A peroxide explosive analogue of TATP, synthesised from hexamine (hexamethylenetetramine), hydrogen peroxide, and citric acid. Similar sensitivity profile. Detected by LC-MS/MS as...
- PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation)
- The Indian regulatory authority under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that administers the Explosive Substances Act 1908 and subordinate rules, including...
- Suspicious Transaction Reporting
- The regulatory obligation imposed on retailers and manufacturers to report purchases of restricted precursor substances that are suspicious by volume, frequency, or...
- TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide)
- A cyclic peroxide explosive (C9H18O6) synthesised from acetone, hydrogen peroxide, and an acid catalyst. Sensitive to friction, heat, shock, and prolonged storage....
- Urea Nitrate
- An ionic explosive salt formed by neutralisation of urea with nitric acid. Detonation velocity approximately 3,400 m/s. Used in the 1993 World...
- Velocity of Detonation (VoD)
- The speed at which the detonation wave propagates through an explosive, measured in metres per second. RDX: approximately 8,750 m/s; TNT: approximately...