Further exercises in practical chemistry

[mdlbear]

After a little research in Wikipedia starting at ANFO, I'm beginning to suspect ammonium nitrate and nitrobenzene. There's no imaginable way anyone could make acetone peroxide inconspicuously on an airplane; either the terrorists were being incredibly stupid, or somebody in the press has failed to do their research after somebody in the government gave them bad, sketchy, or perhaps deliberately misleading information.

Comments

[madfilkentist]

I wouldn't discount the terrorists being incredibly stupid -- perhaps even being sent out to be caught and draw all eyes away from the real plot.

Somebody in the press failing to do proper reasearch? Inconceivable!

The ammonium nitrate would have to be in some kind of solution or suspension, given a scenario of smuggling the explosives on board in liquids or gels. Nitrobenzene isn't water-soluble and might be hidden under a layer of water-based harmless stuff in a container; I recall a mention that the terrorists would have been able to drink off the top of the container. Beyond that, I can't offer any intelligent comment on the chemistry.

[mdlbear]

Somebody (probably on NPR) mentioned that one component was a reddish powder; that would fit with ammonium nitrate.

Reddish?

[capplor.livejournal.com]

I worked with ammonium nitrate. It was white, just like anything else. We used two different forms, chemically pure and fertilizer-grade prills (to use the terminology from the Wiki article).

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

A lot of the news we're getting on this seems to be AP rehashes of US police rehashes of UK police information. Not too much chance for accuracy there, I think.

Looking at the news here, there seems to be less there, there, than the volume of news we are getting. The plot--if there even was one--was penetrated in last December, and on tips from tortured Pakistani prisoners. No charges have been filed as yet, and one of the prisoners has already been released. I think there probably was a plot, but it would be nice to know for sure.