Interaction of the explosives triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and Tetryl (2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine) with the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of Tris(2,2' bipyridine)ruthenium (II) ion (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)) in acetonitrile (MeCN) was studied. Both analytes greatly reduce the light made during the annihilation mechanism yielding ppb level detection. The quenching mechanism for TATP is thought to be EEC' during reduction which reduces the light by oxidizing the Ru(bpy)(3)(+) before it can react with Ru(bpy)(3)(3+) with a rate constant estimate of 4.8 x 10(4) M-1 s(-1). The Tetryl quenching mechanism is less clear, in part, because the molecule is also a fluorescence quencher with behavior suggesting both static and dynamic quenching. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.