gh MARKER FOR EXPLOSIVES

Russian researchers, specialists of the Tomsk Institute of Petroleum Chemisorption, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, have suggested and patented a very interesting method that enables to identify practically for sure the source of explosives origin. It is sufficient to introduce at the production stage trace quantities of a special chemical marker into the composition of the articles containing explosives, and the criminalists will have at their disposal actual “fingerprints” that unambiguously identify not only the manufacturing plant but even the number of the hazardous material consignment.

The zest is that there is no need to add any “alien” compounds, and particularly radio-actively marked ones into the explosives. Moreover, it is impossible without special knowledge to determine if the explosive has been marked or not. The compounds playing the marker role form part of explosive-containing industrial products as an integral part of theirs. However, the ratio of these compounds in an ordinary product and in the “marked” one is slightly different. They do not differ too much, but enough to reliably distinguish one marked lot from another.

In order to avoid disclosing the secret to criminal individuals we shall only mention that the marker is a mixture of carbohydrates typical of trotyl-based explosives, ammonite and many other similar substances. To reveal the compounds suitable for being used as a marker, the researchers have developed a special method of sampling and performed thorough analysis of samples.

“Certainly, the articles of general industrial and economic purpose, which contain explosives, have industrial marking that contains information about the manufacturer, production lot and other data necessary for identification, says Sergei Nekhoroshev, Ph.D. (Chemistry), one of the research participants. “However, this marking will be simply destroyed in illegal circulation. Therefore, if it is necessary to identify the source of explosives and the articles containing explosives, the researchers have to perform a very lengthy and laborious analysis of attendant signs. Our method enables to identify explosive much quicker, easier and for sure. The “hit” probability is close to ane, which is no worse than carrying out dactyloscopic examination.”

It is interesting to note that the researchers have suggested to introduce (as identifying admixtures) the compounds that are “native” to target products, but they should be introduced in absolutely atypical proportions: some – in higher amounts than it is usually done, the other – in lower amounts. As such carbohydrates are rather multiple in principle, one could create almost unlimited number of “markers” based on their different mixtures – enough for all the lots containing explosives in foreseeable future.

It is practically impossible to discover each specific maker and especially to recognize it without special equipment. Firstly, it is necessary to possess special devices and secondly - to own respective methodology and professional skills. Let alone, that it is absolutely unreal to destroy or replace the “marker” by a different one. But it is not much of an effort to prepare and discover the marking mixture in specialized laboratories for criminalists’ joy and for criminals’ misfortune.

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