Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive. A C-4 plastic explosive. ...

First made by the Semtín Glassworks (then called VCHZ Synthesia, now called Explosia) in Semtín (a suburb of Pardubice) in the former Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), it is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex became notoriously popular with terrorists because it was, until recently, extremely difficult to detect and easily obtained.[1], as in the case of Pan Am Flight 103 [2]. Pardubice (German: Pardubitz) capital of the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic on the Labe (Elbe) river. ... Demolition of the Old Myer Building, Perth, Western Australia. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from Londons Heathrow International Airport to New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport. ...

Composition, manufacture and use

There are two common varieties, A for blasting and H (or SE) for hardening: Rock blasting is the controlled use of explosives to excavate rock. ... Shock hardening is a process used to strengthen metals and alloys, wherein a shock wave produces atomic-scale defects in the materials crystalline structure. ...

The explosive is named after Semtín, a suburb of Pardubice in eastern Bohemia where the compound was first manufactured. It was invented in 1966 by Stanislav Brebera, a chemist at VCHZ Synthesia. It was like other plastic explosives, especially C-4, in that it was easily malleable; but it was usable over a greater temperature range than other types. There are also visual differences: whereas C-4 is off-white in colour, Semtex is reddish-orange. PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, also known as Penthrite) is one of the strongest known high explosives, with a relative effectiveness factor (R.E. factor) of 1. ... [edit] Headline text ANEWNGONEWGEQWMedia:Example. ... Look up dye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sudan IV Sudan IV (C24H20N4O) is a lysochrome (fat-soluble dye) diazo dye used for staining of lipids, triglycerides and lipoproteins on frozen paraffin sections. ... Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. ... Plasticizers are additives that soften the materials (usually a plastic or a concrete mix) they are added to. ... A binder is a material used to bind together two or more other materials in mixtures. ... Styrene Butadiene SBR (SBR) is a polymeride consisting of styrene and butadiene. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Pardubice (German: Pardubitz) capital of the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic on the Labe (Elbe) river. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Preparing C-4 explosive C-4 or Composition C-4 is a common variety of military plastic explosive. ... Malleability is a physical property of matter, signifying its capability of deformation, especially by hammering or rolling. ...

The new explosive was widely exported, notably to the government of North Vietnam, which received over 12 tons. However, the main consumer was Libya; about 700 tonnes of Semtex were exported to Libya between 1975 and 1981 by Omnipol. It has also been used by Islamic militants in the Middle East and by republican paramilitaries such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish National Liberation Army in Northern Ireland. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN), or less commonly, Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cá»™ng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, September 2nd1945 and was recognized by the Peoples Republic of China and the... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Omnipol is a company based in Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the trading of defence and aerospece equipment. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish name: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA) is an Irish Republican left-wing paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern Ireland... The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...

Exports fell after the name became closely associated with terrorist blasts. As of 2001, approximately only 10 tonnes of Semtex were produced annually, almost all for domestic use. Export of Semtex was progressively tightened and since 2002 all of Explosia's sales were controlled by a government ministry. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Also in response to international pressure, Semtex has ethylene glycol dinitrate added as a detection taggant to produce a distinctive vapor signature to aid detection. Efforts have also been made to reduce the shelf life of Semtex from its current 20 years to three or even less but have proved difficult, and all new supplies contain an identifying metallic code. Ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN) is a chemical compound an yellowish, oily explosive liquid obtained by nitrating ethylene glycol. ... A taggant can mean a radio frequency microchip used in automated identification and data capture (see RFID.) In such cases, electronic devices use radio waves to track and identify items, such as pharmaceutical products, by assigning individual serial numbers to the containers holding each product. ... Shelf-life is the length of time that corresponds to a tolerable loss in quality of a processed food. ...

On May 25, 1997 Bohumil Sole, a scientist often said to have been involved with inventing Semtex, strapped the explosive to his body and committed suicide in the Priessnitz spa of Jeseník. Sole, 63, was treated there for depression. Twenty other people were hurt in the explosion, while six were seriously injured. It should be noted, however, that the manufacturers Explosia state that he was not a member of the team which developed Semtex. is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Chapel on the Vincent Priessnitz vault, Gräfenberg Hill, Jeseník Vincent Priessnitz (October 4, 1799-November 28, 1851) originated the alternative medicine practices of hydrotherapy and the Nature Cure, which stressed remedies such as fresh air and mountain water over conventional medicine. ... A destination spa is a business establishment which people visit for personal health, life enhancement, fitness, personal care treatments such as massages, facials, in a resort setting. ... Jeseník (Czech: Frývaldov until 1947, German: Freiwaldau) is a city and a district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. ... Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ...

Semtex is now manufactured in Brno, Czech Republic (about 10 tons per year). Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region South Moravia Founded 1146 Area  - city 230. ...

External links

• Website of the manufacturer with brief history of Semtex
• Manufacturer's rebuttal of various alleged misapprehensions, incl involvement of Bohumil Sole
• 2002 article in Christian Science Monitor on misuse of Semtex