CHEMICAL NAME – Acetone peroxide, Peroxyacetone, 3,3,6,6,9,9,-hexamethyl-1,2,4,5,7,8-hexaoxacyclononane (trimer)
FOREIGN NAMES – Mother of Satan
TYPE – Primary explosive
DATE OF DISCOVERY – 1895
DATE FIRST USED AS AN EXPLOSIVE – 1895
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Germany
MOLECULAR FORMULA – C9H18O6
MOLECULAR WEIGHT – 222
DENSITY – 1.18 g per ml
NORMAL STATE – Crystalline powder
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE/COLOR – White
INITIATION – Flame, heat, friction, or shock
SENSITIVITY – Highly sensitive to shock or friction when dry, much lower sensitivity when wet
STABILITY – Stable when pure and properly stored, evaporates over time when exposed to air.
DETONATION VELOCITY – 5,304m/s (17,400 fps)
RE FACTOR (BRISANCE) [TNT=1.0] – 0.8
TOXICITY – Slight, metabolized by the liver, can remain in the system for a week or more
MELTING POINT – 91o C.(196o F.)
IGNITION POINT – 97-160o C.(207 – 320o F.)
SOLUBILITY – Insoluble in water
APPLICATIONS – PRINCIPLE USES – Clandestine improvised explosive, no other practical applications due to its sensitivity
TATP is the shortened name for an organic peroxide that is a very sensitive and unstable explosive. The material can be easily initiated from heat, friction, static electricity, or physical shock. It is particularly unstable when produced in an impure form, detonating suddenly for no apparent reason. As it is considered insoluble in water, storing the explosive underwater helps maintain some stability in the material. In a dry state, it can evaporate within a container, depositing crystals along the sides and top of the container. This can give a transparent container a frosted appearance and make the act of opening it very hazardous. Known as an explosive since its discovery in the 1890s, the unstable nature of the material has kept it from being adopted as a standard explosive anywhere in the world. The relatively easy manufacture of TATP has made it a very popular improvised explosive for use by criminals and terrorists. The commonly suggested manufacture and application of TATP by terrorist groups, particularly Radical Islamic terrorists, has given the explosive the name “Mother of Satan.” Also made by juvenile experimenters who just want to make a big bang, TATP has caused hundreds of major injuries over the years since its discovery.
