Blanco Ocampo, Alejandro

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    Raman Spectroscopy of 2,4-DNT and its interation with sand particles
    (2005) Blanco Ocampo, Alejandro; Hernandez Rivera, Samuel P.; College of Arts and Sciencies - Sciences; Mina, Nairmen; Castro, Miguel; Department of Chemistry; Mehta, Narinder K.
    Landmines have been a part of war technology for over 100 years. They are explosives charges that can be buried and then detonated by contact. Thousand of mines are currently placed on more than 70 countries all over the world. Up to now, metal detectors and other state-of the-art technologies have been used to detect these explosives devices. However, these techniques are incapable of detecting small quantities of explosives in solution and in small crystals. Raman Spectroscopy is an established tool for vibrational spectroscopy analysis and can be used in Point Detection mode to detect explosive components of landmines. Interactions of explosives with different substrates can be measured by using quantitative vibrational signal shift information of scattered Raman light associated with these interactions. In this research, samples of 2,4-DNT were allowed to interact with sand samples. Characteristic vibrational signals of 2,4-DNT were analyzed in the ranges: 300-1200 cm⁻¹, 1200-1700 cm⁻¹, and 2800-3500 cm⁻¹. These variables were measured for 45 days. Raman Microscopy equipped with 514.5 nm laser excitation line was used. Sand samples doped with the nitroaromatic compound showed significant shifts in their Raman bands suggesting an interaction with the substrate. Samples of sand/2,4-DNT were analyzed acquiring Raman spectra at 9, 33 and 50% w/w of water and in the temperature range of 40-80 ᵒC. Effect of pH on the mixtures was also studied in the range of 1-13. The mixtures were irradiated with ultraviolet light (254 nm) and Raman spectra were taken as a function of time. High pH values and prolonged exposure to UV light of mixtures, alone and when mixtures were dosed with H₂O₂ showed extensive degradation as evidenced from the decrease of the intensities of the Raman signatures of the explosive. Exposure to heat at relatively high temperatures also resulted in partial degradation of DNT of the sand surface.