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To: Bookshelf; BenLurkin
"I wonder if an EOD expert could explain if that browning color signifies the presence of anything important."

~~~~~~~~~~

Not, specifically, an "EOD expert" -- but this physical chemist attributes the brownish-orange-reddish colored smoke to oxides of nitrogen from decomposition (deflagration + detonation) of ammonium nitrate.

("Orange" smoke is a classic signature of an ammonium nitrate explosion.)

In April of 1947 -- from my classroom in Webster, Texas -- I personally witnessed the orange mushroom cloud from the massive explosion of ammonium nitrate aboard the SS Grandcamp in Texas City, Texas. (It reminded me of the orange fumes in the top of bottle of concentrated nitric acid...)

Even then, I told my classmates that it was a chemical (not petroleum) explosion -- but the smoke soon turned black as the adjacent petrochem plants and "tank farms" ignited. The same thing happened in OKC: most [later] photos show black smoke from the burning vehicles in the parking lot across the street from the Murrah Building. (See my FRProfile re OKC...) The same "orange-to-black" smoke color shift occurred in Beirut as the surrounding area began to burn.

BTW, the gray-white smoke in Beirut was from the fire (including fireworks) in the northern warehouse -- before the ammonium nitrate explosion in the southern warehouse.

TXnMA

14 posted on 07/31/2021 9:55:00 PM PDT by TXnMA (The Democrat Party has a single-element strategy: CHEATING... Reinstate Public Executions!)
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To: TXnMA

I concur with you, but would defer to any chemist as my training is only US military explosives from the engineers and not formal education.

Also, my training is a couple of decades old. However, I do remember that the text book said that Orange was the color of AN explosives. And if memory serves, something about how the color change from orange could be used to indicate other components. But again, would defer to an actual chemist.


17 posted on 08/01/2021 10:31:31 AM PDT by taxcontrol (You are entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is.)
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