Development of a smokeless powder reference material for propellant and explosives analysis

Abstract

The accurate analysis of the additives in smokeless powder is often an integral part of investigations of improvised explosives devices (IEDs) and in the evaluation of organic gunshot residues (OGSR). To help assure the quality of smokeless powder measurements, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a Reference Material, RM 8107 Additives in Smokeless Powder. The RM, a smokeless rifle powder, was chosen after evaluation of three candidate powders. The additives were determined using solvent extraction with ultrasonic agitation followed by micellar capillary electrophoresis (CE) and liquid chromatography (LC). RM 8107 provides reference values obtained by LC analysis for the key additives nitroglycerin, diphenylamine (and its nitration product, N-nitrosodiphenylamine), and ethylcentralite.