NCJ Number
246857
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 59 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2014 Pages: 743-749
Date Published
May 2014
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The chemical analysis of fire debris represents a crucial part in fire investigations to determine the cause of a fire.
Abstract
The chemical analysis of fire debris represents a crucial part in fire investigations to determine the cause of a fire. A headspace solid-phase microextraction HS-SPME procedure for the detection of ignitable liquids in fire debris using a fiber coated with a mixture of three different sorbent materials Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane, DVB/CAR/PDMS is described. Gasoline and diesel fuel were spiked upon a preburnt matrix wood charcoal, extracted and concentrated with HS-SPME and then analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry GC/MS. The experimental conditionsextraction temperature, incubation and exposure timewere optimized. To assess the applicability of the method, fire debris samples were prepared in the smoke density chamber SDC and a controlled-atmosphere cone calorimeter. The developed methods were successfully applied to burnt particleboard and carpet samples. The results demonstrate that the procedure that has been developed here is suitable for detecting these ignitable liquids in highly burnt debris. Abstract published by arrangement with Wiley.