Even the video of the blast can help identify what kind of bomb it is--or in the case of Boston, confirm that the bombs that detonated were the same that went off. "Generally, white smoke means a commercial kaboom or improvised device," he says. A common chemical used in these bombs, in the United States and abroad, is acetone peroxide (TATP).
It comes in a white powder and blooms in a white cloud when it explodes. In Boston, the initial images seem to show white smoke blossoming at the moment of kaboom.
Industrial and military explosives emit black smoke, Thurman says.
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