Thermite is a mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide, and large amounts of heat are formed by its reaction. Using this heat, thermite is used not only in industrial scenes but also at crime scenes. Various reaction products were obtained in different crime scenes, and they would depend on the mixing ratio of the starting materials.
In this report, thermite reactions were conducted in various mixing ratios. The relationship between thermite mixing ratios and their products was examined. Oxides and metals were formed in every reaction. But their species were different with the mixing ratio of starting materials. It became apparent that the species of resulting oxides and the composition of metals were related to the mixing ratio of their starting materials, and every reaction satisfies each chemical equation. Due to the difference of the products, the mixing ratio of thermite can be estimated by analyzing the products with electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA) and X-ray diffracotmeter (XRD).