Initiator, homemade

The hazards associated with HMTD have not, however, dissuaded criminals, terrorists, or juvenile experimenters from manufacturing and using it. It has been recommended in numerous anarchist publications as the improvised explosive of choice for the preparation of homemade initiators. Over the past several years it has been encountered with increasing frequency by law enforcement officers worldwide. For this reason, as noted for TATP earlier, a basic knowledge of its properties is essential for those in the explosive community. 

Table Type This is a simple flat metal sheet with slightly upturned edges and jacketed on the underside for coolant flow. For many years this was the mainstay of food processors. Table types are still widely used when production is in small batches, when considerable batch-to-batch variation occurs, for pilot investigation, and when the cost of continuous devices is unjustifiable. Slab thicknesses are usually in the range of 13 to 25 mm (V2 to 1 in). These units are homemade, with no standards available. Initial cost is low, but operating labor is high.

Tonometry may be achieved by simple homemade assem-bhes or by cormnerdaUy available equipment. Some commercially available tonometers use a thin-film technique. It consists of a glass or plastic cup fitted on a shaft and enclosed in a humidified chamber whose temperature is maintained at 37 C. A few milliliters of blood is placed in the cup, and gas flow is initiated to continuously flush the inside surface of the cup with the humidified gas. A controller unit causes the cup to rotate rapidly and periodically in short bursts, so that the blood in the cup is thrown in a thin layer over the inside walls. Another form of tonometry is the bubble technique. It uses a syringe that is specially constructed to allow gas to be introduced and humidified through the plunger. During tonometry, the syringe is laid in a thermostatically controlled aluminum heat block. Additional detail on tonometry and its applications can be found in a previous edition of this textbook. Reference conditions for tonometry have been recommended by a committee of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). ... 

Low-order explosive mixtures made from commonly available chemicals have been termed improvised mixtures. The majority of the improvised mixtures used in criminal bombings in this country fall into two categories homemade black powder and homemade flash powders. These mixtures usually are confined in some container, such as a section of capped pipe, and initiated with an external burning pyrotechnic or homemade fuse. Homemade black powder is a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. It is usually poorly made, and unconsumed particles are abundant in the bomb debris. The components of this mixture can be identified chemically using techniques described previously. 

In July 2005, London was subjected to a series of terrorist attacks Bombs exploded on the public transport network at rush hour. Three bombs were detonated on trains in the London Undergroimd and one was detonated on the upper deck of a bus. It was initially thought that military-grade plastic explosives had been used in the attack on 7 July because it appeared that the explosions had been synchronised. However, it was later determined that the bombs were homemade devices consisting of triacetone triperox-ide (TATP). TATP is a peroxide-based explosive that is highly susceptible to shock, heat, and friction and is one of if not the most sensitive explosives known (Bubnikova et al. 2005). 

Different t) es of cation-exchange resins have been employed for homemade argentation, such as the RSilCAT, Nucleosil 5SA, Spherisorb 5SCX, and Partisil SCX nowadays, Ag-coated columns are commercially available. However, the actual silver-ion content of such coliunns is not known exactly and cannot be controlled. The munber of functional groups bound to the silica surface and the degree of replacement of the initial cation with Ag affect the separation and its reproducibility. Mobile phases employed for Ag LC typically consist of hexane, toluene, or dichloromethane—dichloroethane mixtures. The theory and practice of silver-ion LC have been thoroughly reviewed [52]. 

An RFIED is an lED that can be initiated via an RF device. It is typically used by terrorists as it is homemade, as opposed to being buUt by a manufacturer. 

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