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9-11 R e s e a r c h
aluminothermics at the WTC*essays
Explosives Found inWorld Trade Center Dust
Scientists Discover Both ResiduesAnd Unignited FragmentsOf Nano-Engineered Thermitic PyrotechnicsIn Debris From the Twin Towers
by
Jim Hoffman
Version 1.0, April 3, 2009 Version 1.01, April 9, 2009
Introduction
The scientific paper Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastropheconclusively shows the presence of unignited aluminothermic explosives in dust samplesfrom the Twin Towers, whose chemical signature matches previously documented aluminothermicresidues found in the same dust samples. The present review of the paper and related research is intendedto summarize those findings for the non-technical reader. To that end, I first provide a short introductionto the subject of aluminothermic explosives, then outline the methods and results of analysis of the dustsamples, and finally explore the significance of these findings.
Contents
•
Introduction
•
Aluminothermics 101
○
Composition
○
Reaction Rate
○
Energy Density and Power Density
○
Energetic Nanocomposites
•
Aluminothermics at the WTC
○
Aluminothermic Residues: Iron-Rich Spheroids
○
Unignited Aluminothermics: Bi-Layered Chips
Provenance of the Samples
Physical Structure of the Chips
Chemical Composition of the Chips
Thermal Behavior of the Chips
 
Ignition Residue Analysis
Conclusions
•
Discussion
○
FAQ: Controlled Demolition With Aluminothermics
How Could Thermite, an Incendiary, Demolish the Towers, When Buildings Ar e Normally Demolished Using High-Explosive Cutter Charges? 
Why Weren't Demolition Charges Triggered by the Plane Crashes or theSubsequent Fires? 
How Could the Demolition Equipment Have Been Installed in the Twin TowersWithout Tenants Noticing? 
•
Glossary of Analytical Methods
•
References
Aluminothermics 101
Image from AmazingRust.comof a simple thermite reaction involvingiron oxide and aluminum.This videoshows thermite melting through acar.Aluminothermic reactions are a class of energy-releasing oxidation-reduction chemical reactions inwhich aluminum reduces the oxide of metal such as iron (stealing its oxygen). Aluminothermics rangefrom low-tech preparations that take seconds to react and therefore release nearly all their energy as heatand light, to advanced engineered materials with accelerated reaction rates that yield explosive powerssimilar to conventional high explosives.Backers of the official account of 9/11, including NISTofficials, have dismissed evidence thataluminothermics were used to destroy the World Trade Center skyscrapers, claiming that thermite's slowreaction rate makes it an unsuitable tool for demolishing buildings. Despite repeated requests by
 
scientists and researchers to address the potential role of advanced aluminothermics with high explosive power, officials have refused to acknowledge such materials.
Composition
2 Al + Fe
2
O
3
→ Al
2
O
3
+ 2 Fe
The canonical thermite reaction is simple,lacks the aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrogenfound in conventional high explosives, and ishighly exothermic.The most familiar aluminothermic material is thermite, a mixture of a powdered metallic fuel such asaluminum, and a powdered oxide of another metal such as iron or copper. The thermite reaction involvesthe transfer of oxygen from the oxidizer (metal oxide) to the fuel (metal).Because oxygen atoms bind more tightly to aluminum atoms than to iron or copper atoms, the reactionreleases large amounts of energy and is described as highly exothermic. Whereas primitive thermite preparations release most of their energy as heat, modern preparations, such as found in munitionsemployed by the US military in recent decades, produce a targeted mix of heat and pressure through anaccelerated but controlled reaction rate.Relationship of particle size to reactionrate (above) and of reaction rate to theform of energy released (below)
Reaction Rate
of 00

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