small amounts (grams) are generally not powerful enough to amputate fingers from distances larger than 5 – 10 cm. Experienced amateurs handle HMTD in such a manner as to avoid any close contact between fingers and the explosive itself, from synthesis to final detonation. Such measures, for example, include using multiple filter papers during the filtration step that are exchanged as not to have more than 0.2 g of HMTD on a single filter paper, pre-bent papers with cotton wrapped wooden rods for manipulation and blast mitigation devices for final filling. Calculated (Explo5) detonation pressure Pcj at crystal density 1.597 g/cm3 is 218 kbar with velocity of detonation VoD = 7777 m/s. Explosion temperature is 3141 K, energy of explosion is 5612 kJ/kg (or 3400 - 4000 kJ/kg per various sources) and volume of explosion gases at STP is calculated to be 826 L/kg. Loose powder has density close to 0.4 g/cm3, hence the common detonation velocities are closer to 3000 m/s and Pcj is closer to 15 kbar. Sensitivity HMTD is overall slightly more sensitive than fresh TATP and can be considered to be slightly more dangerous than an average primary explosive. The variance of friction force between different surfaces (e.g. different kinds of paper) is often greater than the variance between the friction sensitivity of a given pair of primary explosives. This leads to different values for friction sensitivity measured at different laboratories. Terrorism Despite no longer being used in any military application, and despite its shock sensitivity, HMTD remains a common home-made explosive and has been used in a large number of suicide bombings and other attacks throughout the world. For example, it was one of the components in the explosives intended to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in the 2000 millennium attack plots and the 2016 New York and New Jersey bombings, as well as one of the components of the explosives attempted to be made by the neo-Nazi terrorist organization Atomwaffen Division in the United States. References Organic peroxides Explosive chemicals Diamines Organic peroxide explosives