Part 1:

1. List three factors that make investigating arson and explosions particularly difficult for forensic scientists.

2. What happens to the atoms of a molecule that undergoes a chemical reaction? How is energy consumed in a chemical reaction? How is energy released in a chemical reaction?

3. What is the energy barrier and how does it relate to the concept of ignition temperature?

4. How does the speed of an oxidation reaction affect its ability to produce a flame? What factors influence the speed of the reaction?

5. What physical state must a fuel occupy in order to produce a flame? Why can it produce a flame only in this state?

6. Define and describe the process of pyrolysis.

7. What are oxidizing agents and why are they used in explosives?

8. Why is it important that the arson investigator begin examining a fire scene for signs of arson as soon as the fire has been extinguished?

9. What is the primary focus of a fire-scene search and why? What evidence at a fire site may indicate the possibility of arson?

10. Where will an investigator usually locate the probable point of origin of a fire? What factors can cause a fire to deviate from normal behavior?

11. Why are some traces of the accelerants used in an arson usually found even after intense fires?

12. Why might an investigator conduct laboratory tests on unburned control material collected from a fire scene?

13. Describe the headspace technique for recovering accelerant residues. What instrument is most often used to detect and characterize recovered flammable residues?

Part 2:

1. What produces the violent physical disruption of the surrounding environment released in an explosion? Explain how this creates shrapnel when a bomb explodes.

2. What is an oxidizing agent? Why is an oxidizing agent important to an explosion?

3. What characteristic of an explosive determines whether it is classified as a low explosive or a high explosive? How is this reflected in the type of pressure wave produced by the explosive?

4. Name two types of low explosives and list the ingredients of each.

5. Why does black powder not explode unless it is ignited in a confined area? What practical application besides explosives does this make black powder suitable for?

6. What are primary explosives and what are they used for?

7. What is a detonator? What is the most common form of detonator?