http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13049
Global Research, April 3, 2009
Below is the Abstract, Introduction and Conclusions of this important and
carefully researched article. The complete article can be downloaded (pdf)
Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade
Center Catastrophe
pp.7-31 (25)
Authors: Niels H. Harrit, Jeffrey Farrer, Steven E. Jones, Kevin R.Ryan,
Frank M. Legge, Daniel Farnsworth, Gregg Roberts, James R.Gourley, Bradley
R. Larsen
The Open Chemical Physics Journal
Volume 2
ISSN: 1874-4125
doi: 10.2174/1874412500902010007
Complete Article
http://www.bentham-open.org/pages/content.php?TOCPJ/2009/00000002/00000001/7TO
CPJ.SGM
Abstract:
We have discovered distinctive red/gray chips in all the samples we
have studied of the dust produced by the destruction of the World
Trade Center. Examination of four of these samples, collected from
separate sites, is reported in this paper. These red/gray chips show
marked similarities in all four samples. One sample was collected by a
Manhattan resident about ten minutes after the collapse of the second
WTC Tower, two the next day, and a fourth about a week later. The
properties of these chips were analyzed using optical microscopy,
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive
spectroscopy (XEDS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The
red material contains grains approximately 100 nm across which are
largely iron oxide, while aluminum is contained in tiny plate-like
structures. Separation of components using methyl ethyl ketone
demonstrated that elemental aluminum is present. The iron oxide and
aluminum are intimately mixed in the red material. When ignited in a
DSC device the chips exhibit large but narrow exotherms occurring at
approximately 430 °C, far below the normal ignition temperature for
conventional thermite. Numerous iron-rich spheres are clearly observed
in the residue following the ignition of these peculiar red/gray
chips. The red portion of these chips is found to be an unreacted
thermitic material and highly energetic.
Global Research Editor's Note
The definition of thermitic material:
A trademark used for a welding and incendiary mixture of fine aluminum
powder with a metallic oxide, usually iron, that when ignited yields an
intense heat.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal
oxide, which produces an aluminothermic reaction known as a thermite
reaction. (Wikipedia)
What we are dealing with is the melting/ burning of metal structures.
"Metals are capable of burning under the right conditions, similarly
to the combustion process of wood or gasoline. ... A thermite reaction
is a process in which the correct mixture of metallic fuels are
combined and ignited. Ignition itself requires extremely high
temperatures."
Readers can reach their own conclusions as to the far-reaching
implications of these findings.
Although the authors do not address the broader issue of the 9/11
attacks, their findings have a direct bearing on the likely causes of
the collapse of the WTC buildings on September 11, 2001. The findings
also question the validity of the official report of the 911 Commission.
Below are selected excerpts of the article. Readers can also link to
the complete text, by clicking the link
Complete Article
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CPJ.SGM
EXCERPTS
INTRODUCTION
The destruction of three skyscrapers (WTC 1, 2 and 7) on September 11,
2001 was an immensely tragic catastrophe that not only impacted
thousands of people and families directly, due to injury and loss of
life, but also provided the motivation for numerous expensive and
radical changes in domestic and foreign policy. For these and other
reasons, knowing what really happened that fateful day is of grave
importance.
A great deal of effort has been put forth by various
government-sponsored and -funded investigations, which led, in large
part, to the reports released by FEMA [1] and NIST [2]. Other studies
of the destruction have been less well publicized but are no less
important to the outstanding obligation that remains to the victims of
that tragedy, to determine the whole truth of the events of that day
[3-10]. A number of these studies have appropriately focused
attention on the remaining physical material, and on available
photographs and video footage, as sources of evidence still in public
hands, relating to the method of destruction of the three
skyscrapers.
CONCLUSIONS
We have discovered distinctive red/gray chips in significant numbers
in dust associated with the World Trade Center destruction. We have
applied SEM/XEDS and other methods to characterize the small-scale
structure and chemical signature of these chips, especially of their
red component. The red material is most interesting and has the
following characteristics:
1. It is composed of aluminum, iron, oxygen, silicon and carbon.
Lesser amounts of other potentially reactive elements are sometimes
present, such as potassium, sulfur, lead, barium and copper.
2. The primary elements (Al, Fe, O, Si, C) are typically all present
in particles at the scale of tens to hundreds of nanometers, and
detailed XEDS mapping shows intimate mixing.
3. On treatment with methyl ethyl ketone solvent, some segregation of
components occurred. Elemental aluminum became sufficiently
concentrated to be clearly identified in the pre-ignition material.
4. Iron oxide appears in faceted grains roughly 100 nm across whereas
the aluminum appears in thin platelike structures. The small size of
the iron oxide particles qualifies the material to be characterized as
nanothermite or super-thermite.
5. Analysis shows that iron and oxygen are present in a ratio
consistent with Fe2O3. The red material in all four WTC dust samples
was similar in this way. Iron oxide was found in the pre-ignition
material whereas elemental iron was not.
6. From the presence of elemental aluminum and iron oxide in the red
material, we conclude that it contains the ingredients of thermite.
7. As measured using DSC, the material ignites and reacts vigorously
at a temperature of approximately 430 °C, with a rather narrow
exotherm, matching fairly closely an independent observation on a
known super-thermite sample. The low temperature of ignition and the
presence of iron oxide grains less than 120 nm show that the material
is not conventional thermite (which ignites at temperatures above 900
°C) but very likely a form of super-thermite.
8. After igniting several red/gray chips in a DSC run to 700 °C, we
found numerous iron-rich spheres and spheroids in the residue,
indicating that a very high temperature reaction had occurred, since
the iron-rich product clearly must have been molten to form these
shapes. In several spheres, elemental iron was verified since the iron
content significantly exceeded the oxygen content. We conclude that a
high-temperature reduction-oxidation reaction has occurred in the
heated chips, namely, the thermite reaction.
9. The spheroids produced by the DSC tests and by the flame test have
an XEDS signature (Al, Fe, O, Si, C) which is depleted in carbon and
aluminum relative to the original red material. This chemical
signature strikingly matches the chemical signature of the spheroids
produced by igniting commercial thermite, and also matches the
signatures of many of the microspheres found in the WTC dust [5].
10. The carbon content of the red material indicates that an organic
substance is present. This would be expected for super-thermite
formulations in order to produce high gas pressures upon ignition and
thus make them explosive. The nature of the organic material in these
chips merits further exploration. We note that it is likely also an
energetic material, in that the total energy release sometimes
observed in DSC tests exceeds the theoretical maximum energy of the
classic thermite reaction.
Based on these observations, we conclude that the red layer of the
red/gray chips we have discovered in the WTC dust is active, unreacted
thermitic material, incorporating nanotechnology, and is a highly
energetic pyrotechnic or explosive material.
(emphasis added)
Complete Article
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CPJ.SGM
Study: Scientists Discover Active Thermitic Material in WTC Dust by
researcher
Friday Apr 3rd, 2009 7:30 PM
Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade
Center Catastrophe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Victoria Ashley, STJ911 committee member
Site:
www.STJ911.org
Email: stj911 at (no spam) gmail.com
Study: Scientists Discover Active Thermitic Material in WTC Dust
Berkeley, CA, April 3, 2009 -- A new study by independent scientists
and researchers suggests the cause behind the catastrophic destruction
of World Trade Center Towers on September 11th can be seen in the dust
itself: active thermitic material, a highly engineered explosive.
The study, published today in The Open Chemical Physics Journal,
describes a finding of "red/gray bi-layered chips" in samples of dust
taken from vicinity of the World Trade Center following its
destruction. Using tools such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM)
and x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) to analyze the
material, the study authors concluded that, "the red portion of these
chips is found to be an unreacted thermitic material and highly
energetic."
The study's finding lends new support to the demolition theory put
forth by critics of the official reports.
At a time when the American public is finding it difficult to
understand the full story behind the current economic crisis, findings
of a demolition raise new questions about how the 'War on Terror' --
an enormous source of recent American spending -- was started.
Officials with the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), charged with establishing the cause of the buildings'
destruction, have stated that they "did not test for the residue of
these compounds in the steel," and that thermite, "or another
incendiary compound," would be too difficult to have placed in the
buildings without notice.
NIST has stated that such difficulties make demolition unlikely. They
concluded that aircraft impacts and the subsequent fires led to the
building failures.
Dr. Steven Jones, physicist and author on the paper, says that NIST
has refused to test the dust for thermite, super-thermite, or any
other accelerant or explosive.
"We've repeatedly asked them to follow standard investigative
procedure, to perform these tests and release the results. They
haven't."
Jones says such tests may be required by fire protection codes.
Kevin Ryan, chemist and co-author on the paper, explained why he
thinks NIST is wrong. "What we've discovered is not conventional
thermite -- which is what NIST continues to refer to -- but a highly
engineered thermitic material, or 'super thermite', probably designed
for just this type of application."
Pre-planned demolition, supporters say, is the 'best-fit' model for
the many unusual and unexplained characteristics of the building
failures, such as the speed and symmetry of the collapses, and the
extreme pulverization of the materials leading to clouds of
micron-sized dust particles, described in one insurance report as
behaving similar to a "volcanic eruption".
"One of the unusual features that piqued my interest," Jones said,
"was the pools of molten metal seen in all three rubble piles, WTC 1,
2 & 7."
NIST officials have published a response stating that the condition of
the steel was "irrelevant to the investigation of the collapse."
Jones, formerly a Professor of Physics with Brigham Young University
and known for his work in muon-catalyzed fusion, published in Nature,
Scientific American, and the Journal of Physical Chemistry, began
researching the 9/11/01 attacks in 2005.
Jones discovered the curious thermitic material in 2007, when he ran a
magnet over a dust sample given to him by a Manhattan resident
survivor of the attack, and found that some particles were attracted
to the magnet.
"That was very odd to me," he said.
Those particles turned out to be iron-rich microspheres, partially
described in a 2001 USGS study of the dust.
But to fully analyze, describe and report on the thermitic material
would take longer.
Jones was joined in that effort by several others including Dr. Niels
Harrit, a chemistry professor with the University of Copenhagen for
over 30 years and author of numerous research papers in journals such
as Nano Letters, the Journal of the American Chemistry Society, and
the Journal of Physical Chemistry A.
Harrit says that he is frequently asked why he researches the
September 11th attack. and says has two answers.
"First, I am opposed to crime, and second, when my 6 grandchildren ask
me, 'Grandfather, which side were you on?' I will be able to answer
them, 'I was on your side'."
Co-author Dr. Jeffrey Farrer, a materials scientist and Director of
the TEM (Transmition Electron Microscopy) laboratory at BYU, says he
hopes the paper will "change the way the 9/11 truth movement is viewed
by the mainstream public and media."
And chemist and co-author Kevin Ryan, a former Underwriters
Laboratories manager, challenged the NIST report in public statements
in 2004, and was consequently fired.
"This finding really goes beyond anything that has previously been
shown," says Jones. "We had to use sophisticated tools to analyze the
dust because this isn't just a typical explosive, RDX or CD4 or
something -- this is a highly engineered material not readily
available to just anyone."
In a 2006 interview with Deseret News, Jones noted that commercial
explosives must contain tag elements for traceability, but that no law
requires tagging of advanced forms of thermitics.
In 2008, several of these authors published three articles challenging
the official reports in US scientific journals, The Open Civil
Engineering Journal, The Environmentalist, and The Journal of
Engineering Mechanics Dozens of other papers making similar challenges
have been published in the sister publication of the Scholars group,
The Journal of 9/11 Studies
Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice is a non-partisan organization of
over 700 independent researchers analyzing the September 11, 2001
attacks with a strong emphasis on the scientific method.
For information:
http://www.stj911.com
http://stj911.org/press_releases/ActiveThe...
