NCJ Number
218654
Date Published
January 2005
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This report presented by the Scientific Working Group for Materials Analysis pertains to a guideline for the elemental analysis of glass, specifically, methods for determining the concentrations of major, minor, and trace elements in glass fragments.
Abstract
The concentrations of certain elements in glass chemically characterize its source. The concentrations of several elements are controlled by the manufacturer in order to impart end-use properties to a particular glass product. In some instances, these characteristics can be used to identify the product type of a recovered glass fragment. Even individual glass objects that have major element concentrations within the manufacturer's acceptable range have variations that can be measured for a forensic comparison. The analytical considerations described in the guideline are for the use of scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrophotometry, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Other analytical techniques, such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry may also be used, but are not included in this guideline because they are not as widely used as those mentioned in the guideline. Each technique described may either be used to determine the concentrations of elements in a glass fragment or to determine the concentrations of several elements relative to each other. For each technique, the guideline provides a brief introduction to the technique's principles, analytical methodologies, uses, and advantages and limitations. Sample handling and considerations applicable to all the techniques are also discussed. 25 references and an 8-item bibliography