In the last hundred years, scientists thought that matter has only one crystalline form; The new findings will enable the development of better detection capabilities for the dangerous substance
Technion researchers have discovered an unexpected property of the improvised explosive substance TATP, which is used by terrorist organizations around the world. For a hundred years since its discovery, TATP was considered to be a substance with a single crystalline form. The Technion researchers found that this explosive can crystallize into at least six different types of crystals, depending on the conditions of its synthesis and formation.
"To our great surprise, we found that TATP is a very unusual explosive, whose properties are very different from those of all conventional explosives that are used for military or civilian purposes," says Professor Ehud Kinan of the Shulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion, who led the research. "In the past, we discovered that an explosion of TATP does not involve the release of heat, and thus it is similar to the material used to fill the airbags in cars, to protect the driver and passengers in the event of a car accident."
The group of researchers, which also included Dr. Ofer Riani, Dr. Moshe Capon and Dr. Mark Botushansky, solved the structure of each of the six crystalline forms using X-rays and other methods. The results were published in the scientific journal Crystal Growth & Design.
The TATP substance has been used by terrorists in many suicide attacks over the past 30 years, such as at the dolphinarium in Tel Aviv, in a pedestrian mall in Jerusalem and on buses throughout the country and in London. Technion researchers previously developed a unique device that detects TATP and other improvised explosives from the peroxide family. The device, Acro-PET, resembles a three-color pen, and it releases three chemical mixtures that cause a color change after contact with the explosive.
"There are several reasons for the popularity of the TATP among terrorist organizations around the world," explains Professor Keenan, who also serves as the president of the Israeli Chemistry Association. "It is easy to prepare from very cheap raw materials, and difficult to discover. Our new findings will enable better detection capabilities of the TATP through modern methods that will use X-rays, and this is also one of the subjects of our current research."
More on the subject on the science website
