This would be a nice way to figure out who's-who.....
Hope it gets (or is) in the kit bag.
Science
New Chemical Catches Terrorists Literally Red-Handed
Jason Mick (Blog) - September 20, 2007 10:40 AM
A new chemical detector has been developed which promises to ID bomb makers.
Worldwide, terrorism is one of the key threats to world peace, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths each year.
Now scientists have created a chemical that detects urea nitrate, a common ingredient used to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other bombs.
The chemical is extremely easy to use. Simply wipe the hands of the suspect with a sterile cloth, then apply the chemical detector agent. If the user has had recent contact with urea nitrate, then the chemical will turn a blood red hue.
The chemical was developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Joseph Almog.
Their findings were published in the September issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences.
Almog is a former Israeli brigadier general. Almog's team has led a great deal of groundbreaking research in past years, including the development of the chemical FerroTrace which turns purple when the user has recently held a grenade or gun.
The team examined how the color change process in the new nitrate detecting compound worked by using X-Ray diffraction imaging and computer sharpening algorithms to view the reaction mechanisms in action.
The development holds great promise for saving lives and avoiding mistakes by eliminating false IDs of suspects and provides a valuable tool for peacekeeping forces to catch bomb makers red-handed in conflict zones worldwide.
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Abstract: Urea nitrate (uronium nitrate, UN) is a powerful, improvised explosive that can be easily made from urea and nitric acid. It is considered the most frequently used, illegal explosive in the Israeli arena, which is responsible for the loss of more than a hundred lives in terrorist incidents. Urea nitrate is a colorless, crystalline substance that looks very much like sugar. A sensitive color test for UN was developed recently. It is based on the formation of a red dye in the reaction between p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde and UN under neutral conditions. A similar reaction with p-dimethylaminobezaldehyde produces a yellow dye. The two dyes have been synthesized, and their structures determined by X-ray crystallography. Both dyes are protonated Schiff bases, prevailing in the crystal in a quinoid form. They are identical to the compounds, which are obtained in the colorimetric detection of urea with the same reagents, under strong acidic conditions, whose structures have been postulated in the literature, but never fully proved experimentally.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...9.2007.00504.x
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