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
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