Diverse aspects of explosives chemistry are covered, beginning with an introduction to explosive reactions and basic methods of estimating performance. Synthesis and properties of organic high explosives are discussed, and the relationship between structure and reactivity is explored. Various analytical detection methods are examined in the context of trace analysis of hidden explosives, including field methods, laboratory techniques and current research. The second part of the course concentrates on the physical processes occurring during initiation and explosion. Different methods for calculating detonation parameters and modelling explosive output are investigated. Factors affecting sensitivity are discussed, along with insensitive munitions.