NCJ Number
191313
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 46 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 1043-1052
Date Published
September 2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article studied the analysis of forensic samples using laser micropyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry.
Abstract
Laser micropyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is used for the analysis of paint, photocopier toner, and synthetic fiber materials to test the forensic potential of this emerging technology. It uses a laser microprobe to selectively target very small parts of the materials for GC-MS analysis. Both the paint and toner samples were amenable to direct laser pyrolysis. However, the synthetic fibers proved transparent to the 1064 nm laser radiation. The difficulty with the fibers demonstrated that a specific laser wavelength might not be appropriate for all types of materials. Yet, the fibers were indirectly pyrolyzed by impregnation in a strongly absorbing graphite matrix. Unique product distributions were detected from each sample and in sufficient detail to facilitate individual molecular characterization. The integrity of the laser data were confirmed by comparison to data obtained from the same sample by the more conventional pyroprobe pyrolysis GC-MS method. The high spatial resolution and selectivity of the laser method may be advantageous for specific forensic applications, however, further work might be required to improve the reproducibility of the data. Tables, graphs, and references