BBC:
The main chemical in the curry spice turmeric could be the
basis for cheap explosives detectors, writes Jason Palmer for
BBC News. Abhishek Kumar, of the University of Massachusetts,
Lowell, and his colleagues has discovered a means of using that
chemical's fluorescence properties to detect the presence of
explosives: As the chemical gathers molecules of explosive
material in air, changes in the chemical's light-emitting
properties can be measured. The team dissolved curcumin in a
polymer and used the mixture to make thin films. When an
inexpensive light source, such as an LED, is shone on the film,
the light dims if explosives are present. This application of
fluorescence spectroscopy was presented at the recent American
Physical Society's meeting in Dallas, Texas.
