Analysis of explosives by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry

Abstract In order to evaluate the applicability of NMR to the analysis of explosives, the method was used to analyse explosives from actual cases. The results were then compared with results from other analytical methods, mainly TLC and GC/MS. For unexploded samples NMR was found to be a simple, fast and reliable method, often allowing the identification of mixtures without pre-separation. Some post-explosion samples were also successfully analysed by NMR. Although sensitivity problems still exist, NMR showed a surprisingly promising prospects for the difficult field of post-explosion analysis.