Trace level triacetone-triperoxide identification with SPME-GC-MS in model systems

Triacetone-triperoxide is a high explosive mainly used by terrorist groups. With the spreading of the recipe on the Internet, increasing number of bomb attacks are being reported worldwide using triacetone-triperoxide. A simple identification method is described using 100 mu m polydimethyl siloxane fibre solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography combined with spectrometry. The method was tested on various pre- and post-explosion models that can be collected in a house search or after a bomb attack. Sample preservation and stability was also examined. Identification of triacetone-triperoxide residues in post-explosion models was feasible 24 h after ignition, the detection limit being 5 ng.