Characterization of the explosive triacetone triperoxide and detection by ion mobility spectrometry

Abstract

The improvised explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was synthesized and characterized by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Triacetone triperoxide was subsequently analyzed by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) in positive ion mode, and detected as a cluster of three peaks with a drift time of the most intense peak at 13.06 ms. Triacetone triperoxide was then analyzed after dissolution in toluene, where a dramatic increase in peak intensity was observed, at a flight time of 12.56 ms ( K 0=2.71 cm 2 V −1 s −1). Triacetone triperoxide was subsequently analyzed by coupling the ion mobility spectrometer to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, where a single peak at m/ z of 223 atomic mass units identified the species present in the ion mobility spectra as being triacetone triperoxide.