Looted Al QaQaa 'explosives' are in fact urinary antiseptic

Exclusive (So far) to FR ^ | 11/4/2004 | Gerard S Harbison, AKA Right Wing Professor

[Right Wing Professor]

The Los Angeles Times this morning ran an article on the alleged looting of the Al QaQaa explosives. Pivotal to the article, whcih relied on unidentified GI alleged witnesses to the looting, was this:

One soldier said U.S. forces watched the looters' trucks loaded with bags marked "hexamine" — a key ingredient for HMX — being driven away from the facility. Unsure what hexamine was, the troops later did an Internet search and learned of its explosive power.

"We found out this was stuff you don't smoke around," the soldier said.

The trouble is, it's completely bogus. Hexamine isn't an explosive, and has no 'explosive power'. It's a urinary antiseptic. It is used in the synthesis of RDX and HMX - but without a chemical plant and a number of other chemical ingredients, some dangerous and hard to obtain, you can't make RDX or HMX from it. All the explosive properties of RDX and HMX come from the fuming nitric acid which is another ingredient in the manufacture. I doubt you could even get hexamine to burn decently, let alone explode. I wouldn't be at all surprised that Saddam was manufacturing RDX and HMX, and that's why he had sacks of hexamine, but no terrorist is going to be able to do anything with hexamine (except, maybe, treat his gonorrhea).

I'm befuddled how the LA Times could have used a second-hand google search as a source for the most element on the story. I contacted them, and their 'reader representative' gave me an implausible story of how they'd checked their chemical information with the Encyclopedia Britannica, but promised to tell their editors. I'm not holding my breath waiting for a correction.

In case I need to establish my credentials on this, just google 'hexamethylenetetramine harbison' and look at the first hit. Hexamethylenetetramine is the correct chemical name of hexamine. I've done quite a bit of published research with the stuff.

[Right Wing Professor]

Feel free to pass on to your favorite media critter.

[airborne]

Things that make you go Hmmm!

[Mount Athos]

Awesome. Hope this is carried further. Good job. :)

[atomicpossum]

Basically, they 'stole' urinal cakes, then?

[listenhillary]

I missed the urinary antiseptic explanation.

[groanup]

Need more.

[infidel29]

This story can also be found at
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/04/iraq.weapons.ap/index.html

[Thom Pain]

"Basically, they 'stole' urinal cakes, then?"

Must be Libs...

[Enlightiator]

they'd checked their chemical information with the Encyclopedia Britannica

Now THERE's some hard digging reporters, only the most informed reporter would know that Encyclopedia Britannica is where you need to go for detailed information on the chemical makeup of explosives, lol....

[Riley]

Wait a minute. I remember something called a 'Hexi-stove' for heating rations when I was in the service. Same stuff?

(Google Google Google...)

Yup. Sure is...

http://trailquest.net/dlgchxtab.html

[Right Wing Professor]

Hexamine is a urinary antiseptic. It's not an explosive. The sacks of chemicals they allegedly looted could cure their, em, burning feeling when they pee, but they sure ain't making any improvised explosive devices from them.

[gaijin]

Dude, you totally rock!

I love FR, man...!

[Riley]

Basically, they 'stole' urinal cakes, then?

Sign in the restroom:

"Please don't eat the large, white mint."

[brewcrew]

Basically, they 'stole' urinal cakes, then?

Or, as we call 'em: pisser mints.

[Right Wing Professor]

Wait a minute. I remember something called a 'Hexi-stove' for heating rations when I was in the service. Same stuff?

I looked it up, and it is the same stuff. Well I'll be darned. It does burn, slowly.

[tsmith130]

Great Job! (Just curious...are you appropriately clad in pajamas?)

[Terabitten]

The 14N NMR spectrum of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) is dominated by the very large electric quadrupole coupling constant of 4.412 MHz at room temperature. Nonetheless, by carefully accounting for this interaction one can subtract its first- and second-order effects on the spectrum, leaving the much smaller anisotropic chemical shift interaction. The chemical shielding anisotropy of HMT is -8.3±3.2 ppm, small but different from zero, with an isotropic chemical shift in good agreement with the value in aqueous solution. This study illustrates how even very tiny chemical shift tensors can be extracted from the NMR spectra of quadrupolar nuclei using appropriate techniques.

Dear God. I can't even pronounce half the words in your extract. Whatever the hell you're talking about, rock on, Doc!

[SWake]

I have this image in my mind of a bunch of guys sitting around a stack of this stuff with real puzzled looks on their faces. "But the NYT says it's an explosive!?!"

[Riley]

That's cool- I can take a bunch of cheap urinal cakes next time I go backpacking. :-)

[weegee]

they seemed rather LARGE for after dinner mints.

[kralcmot]

well i am not surprised. the amount of fact checking now required for an anti-Bush story is now ZERO. the really big news is that they were not able to get this into print two days ago. I am sure that the delay was not caused by "vetting the story" but by waiting for someone to make it up.

[general_re]

You, sir, are da man.

[WildTurkey]

[Riley]

Better than buying surplus Trioxane- although I have fond memories of watching our Doc gas himself out of his bunker while cooking his lunch with the stuff. Burning trioxane gives off a gas that affects people like CS (tear gas).

[Prime Choice]

Sign in the restroom:

"Please don't eat the large, white mint."

And written over the condom dispenser:

"Don't buy the gum. It tastes like rubber."

[shrinkermd]

Great post and effort. Thanks. I hope Powerline Blog gets it.

[bigbob]

Excellent post Doc, thanks. And as a native Nebraskan, I think "Go Big Red" takes on new meaning when I look at the electoral vote map!

[Fatalis]

Heads up

[Right Wing Professor]

Basically, they 'stole' urinal cakes, then?

Not unless you eat urinal cakes. From http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/ellingwood/hexamethyl.html

Hexamethylenetetramine

Synonyms—Urotropine; uritone; helmetol (proprietary).

This compound is the result of a chemical action between ammonium hydrate and formaldehyde. It is crystalline, colorless and odorless; dissolves in one and one-half parts of water. The influence of the agent within the system depends upon the fact that the formaldehyde is liberated and is dispersed throughout the entire system. It is found in the blood, in the spinal fluids, and in all the secretions, especially in the urine.

If its influence upon the stomach is desired, it can be given in a crystalline form, as the normal gastric acids will produce the desired chemical change. If its influence upon the intestinal tract or upon the bladder is desired, it must be given in some form. in which the stomach acids will not immediately act upon it. The dose is from five to thirty grains, three times daily in a little water. From five to fifteen grains is about the ordinary dosage.

Therapy—The agent acts directly upon any infections within the system as would be inferred because of its invariable, active, antiseptic influence. In its elimination, through all the secretory glands, it thus influences the mucous membranes, and among the first of these are those of the urinary apparatus and bladder. Its first effect is thus seen in inflammation of the bladder or in pyelitis, where the urine is heavily charged with ammonium; where there is an abundance of uric acid and amorphous urates, with triple phosphates and pus. Alkaline urine in the aged, seems to be its most conspicuous indication.

[agincourt1415]

Another possible Freerepublic MSM expose.

[RobRoy]

Hope you don't mind. I posted it here:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=dd55fa50887460b7215d01579c3f7515&threadid=775782

[weegee]

On the bottom of a bottle of "Uday Hussein - Insurgent Ale" there is another label:

"Open other end"

[PilloryHillary]

http://www.angelfire.com/ia/education/AOCHB.txt

Read number 5

[soozla]

Did they get the urinal "targets" too....bbbwwwaaaaahhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa???????

[weegee]

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans PING

[Riley]

Flu-raspy LOL!

[WI Conservative 4 Bush]

I was just wondering about Al QaQaa today. The media had a week-long conniption fit about the lost explosives, and now just drop the story. Jeesh, it almost seems like the media used this story to advance the cause of ousting the President.

Thank you RWP for posting this information about the hexamine.

[meyer]

Basically, they 'stole' urinal cakes, then?

Might make one a bit more apprehensive about smoking in the boy's room.

[Right Wing Professor]

Yeah. Good luck getting 100% nitric acid.

Why would anyone make their own explosives in Iraq?

[garjog]

Great news. But, please tell me why the DoD spokesman didn't know this in his long interview last Friday? Seems like the military would know what is and is not an explosive.

[KC Burke]

The LAT is going to be pissed

[BobS]

I made 70% nitric acid produce brown smoke by eye-dropping glycerine in it.

But in this case, maybe urinalysis would catch the thieves?:)

[Prime Choice]

Flu-raspy LOL!

*patting you on the back and handing over a mug of chicken soup*

Get well soon!

[Teslas Pigeon]

Great post. As usual the MSM jumps to conclusions when it helps support their Anti-Bush position:

"Unsure what hexamine was, the troops later did an Internet search and learned of its explosive power.

"We found out this was stuff you don't smoke around," the soldier said."

There are reasons not to smoke around things besides them being explosive. They might produce noxious gas when they burn, they might get very hot without exploding, etc. Nothing in the quote from the GI says they "learned of its explosive power"

[Riley]

That's why I despise the MSM. Bunch of partisan hacks peddling their opinions as news. I have had occasion to tell a TV reporter looking for an interview from me to go pound sand.

It was most satisfying.

[Pharmboy]

[Right Wing Professor]

Great news. But, please tell me why the DoD spokesman didn't know this in his long interview last Friday? Seems like the military would know what is and is not an explosive.

I don't think the 'eyewitness' story broke until today. I didn't see it until a liberal friend sent me the link with a 'see, I told you so' cover. I disabused him a few minutes later.

FReepers in general are way better informed than your average reporter. They hadn't a clue about this at the LA Times, but it's clear at least 5 people on this thread know what hexamine is.

[Riley]

Thanks! I am working in spite of it. Stupid flu.

[moehoward]

bumperoo

[Right Wing Professor]

Nothing in the quote from the GI says they "learned of its explosive power"

if there ever was a GI.

Still, I like the mental image of a bunch of bearded Al-Qaida would-be terrorists scratching their heads wondering why the urinary antiseptic won't explode.