  AMMONIUM TRIIODIDE CRYSTALS

     Ammonium triiodide crystals are foul-smelling purple colored crystals
that decompose under the slightest amount of heat, friction, or shock, if they
are made with the purest ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) and iodine.  Such
crystals are said to detonate when a fly lands on them, or when an ant walks
across them. Household ammonia, however, has enough impurities, such as soaps
and abrasive agents, so that the crystals will detonate when thrown,crushed,
or heated. Ammonia, when bought in stores comes in a variety of forms.  The
pine and cloudy ammonias should not be bought; only the clear ammonia should
be used to make ammonium triiodide crystals. Upon detonation, a loud report is
heard, and a cloud of purple iodine gas appears about the detonation site.
Whatever the unfortunate surface that the crystal was detonated upon will
usually be ruined, as some of the iodine in the crystal is thrown about in a
solid form, and iodine is corrosive.  It leaves nasty, ugly, permanent
brownish-purple stains on whatever it contacts. Iodine gas is also bad news,
since it can damage lungs, and it settles to the ground and stains things
there also.  Touching iodine leaves brown stains on the skin that last for
about a week, unless they are immediately and vigorously washed off.  While
such a compound would have little use to a serious terrorist, a vandal could
utilize them in damaging property.  Or, a terrorist could throw several of
them into a crowd as a distraction, an action which would possibly injure a
few people, but frighten almost anyone, since a small crystal that may not be
seen when thrown produces a rather loud explosion.

    Ammonium triiodide crystals could be produced in the following manner:

     Materials                Equipment
     ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ                ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
     iodine crystals          funnel and filter paper
                              paper towels
     clear ammonia
     (ammonium hydroxide,     two throw-away glass jars
      for the suicidal)

1) Place about two teaspoons of iodine into one of the glass jars.  The jars
   must both be throw away because they will never be clean again.

2) Add enough ammonia to completely cover the iodine.

3) Place the funnel into the other jar, and put the filter paper in the
   funnel. The technique for putting filter paper in a funnel is taught in
   every basic chemistry lab class: fold the circular paper in half, so that a
   semi-circle is formed.  Then, fold it in half again to form a triangle with
   one curved side.  Pull one thickness of paper out to form a cone, and place
   the cone into the funnel.

4) After allowing the iodine to soak in the ammonia for a while, pour the
   solution into the paper in the funnel through the filter paper.

5) While the solution is being filtered, put more ammonia into the first jar
   to wash any remaining crystals into the funnel as soon as it drains.

6) Collect all the purplish crystals without touching the brown filter paper,
   and place them on the paper towels to dry for about an hour.  Make sure
   that they are not too close to any lights or other sources of heat, as they
   could well detonate. While they are still wet, divide the wet material into
   eight pieces of about the same size.

7) After they dry, gently place the crystals onto a one square inch piece of
   duct tape.  Cover it with a similar piece, and gently press the duct tape
   together around the crystal, making sure not to press the crystal itself.
   Finally, cut away most of the excess duct tape with a pair of scissors, and
   store the crystals in a cool dry safe place.  They have a shelf life of
   about a week, and they should be stored in individual containers that can
   be thrown away, since they have a tendency to slowly decompose, a process
   which  gives off iodine vapors, which will stain whatever they settle on.
   One possible way to increase their shelf life is to store them in airtight
   containers.  To use them, simply throw them against any surface or place
   them where they will be stepped on or crushed.



                                                  -= RFLAGG =-
