The Analysis of the Explosives of the Paper Detonator

A number of paper detonators were found in a smuggling case. The explosives were coated on brown paper and wrapped as cylinder tubes. It could easily pass X-ray examination during a security check. Two different colored explosive ingredients were isolated from the detonator. A locally developed explosive test kit based on spot-test theory as well as IR and GC/MS spectrometric methods were used to identify the explosive compounds. The orange colored ingredients were identified to be RDX with a small amount of wax and orange color pigments. The brown colored sample was identified to be diazodinitrophenol (DDNP) primer. The paper was coated with wax in order to prevent moisture penetration. This detonator,which is activated by a fuse cord (black powder), has the capability to initiate a TNT charge.