Dangit!
Big news today related to the breaking up of an apparent terrorist plot involving terrorists bringing liquids onto planes, mixing the liquids to create an explosive mixture, and then blowing holes into large commuter airplanes by triggering either with a key fob or batteries from (apparently) iPods. (Clearly details are sketchy at this point.)
I'm all happy that a terrorist plot got stopped, sure, but as the geektastic chemistry teacher that I am, I wanna know what the two mysterious ingredients are.
I wanna know what sort of reaction's taking place.
I wanna be able to discuss the cool chemistry involved.
Oh, I know I'd have to leave some minor details out if it's that easy to turn two common-looking liquids into an explosive, but I wanna know.
PS - Interesting that two men were detained in Ohio and were reported - on the local news, at least - as possibly having ties to the thwarted plot.
3 comments:
dude...you can't put info like that out there...King George II's men are trolling the web all the time...
From CNN.com:
The Department of Homeland Security's report to law enforcement agencies outlined three types of explosives the suspects might have been planning to use:
TATP, made with hydrogen peroxide and acetone, which was used in last year's London subway bombings. It would not trigger conventional airport explosive detectors because it does not contain nitrogen. However, TATP is highly unstable and difficult to manufacture without expertise.
Nitroglycerin, a liquid explosive to which color can be added to make it resemble soft drinks or baby food. This was what was used in a thwarted 1994 al Qaeda plot to bomb aircraft traveling from Asia to the United States, which mirrored the alleged plot disrupted in Britain.
A combination of nitromethane, used to fuel model airplanes and racing cars, and an oxidizer, such as ammonium nitrate fertilizer. These ingredients were the basis of the bomb Timothy McVeigh used to destroy the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995.
According to homeland security, requiring passengers to taste beverages as a security measure might not be a deterrent because many dangerous compounds, such as nitroglycerin, are harmless in small doses.
The news media does have some responsibility to the public, you know.
Post a Comment