PYROLYSIS MASS SPECTROMETRY - A NEW FORENSIC SCIENCE TECHNIQUE

• NCJ Number: 57779
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 22 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1977) Pages: 748-756
• Author(s): R SAFERSTEIN; J J MANURA
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: American Soc for Testing and Materials
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED IN PART AT THE 28TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 1976

Annotation

EFFORTS AT CHARACTERIZING PAINT AND SYNTHETIC FIBERS BY PYROLYSIS MASS SPECTROMETRY (MS) ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS TECHNICAL REPORT.

Abstract

THIS STUDY INCORPORATED A CHEMICAL IONIZATION (CI) SOURCE INTO THE MASS SPECTROMETER IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FRAGMENTATION PATTERNS. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE RESULTANT ISOBUTANE MASS SPECTRUM MAKES IT AMENABLE TO THE ANALYSIS OF MULTICOMPONENT MIXTURES. WITH THIS APPROACH VARIOUS PAINTS AND FIBERS WERE PYROLYZED AND THEIR DEGRADATION PRODUCTS TRANSFORMED DIRECTLY TO THE CI SOURCE. FRAGMENTATION PATTERNS WERE GENERATED AND THE RESULTANT MASS PYROGRAPHS WERE RECORDED ON AN OSCILLOGRAPHIC RECORDER. THE MASS PYROGRAPHS GENERATED WERE SUFFICIENTLY DETAILED TO ALLOW THE OPERATOR TO DISTINGUISH VARIOUS TYPES OF AUTOMOTIVE FINISHES AND ACRYLIC FIBERS. THE TECHNIQUE WAS SUCCESSFULLY USED FOR DIRECT COMPARISON OF A VARIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE PAINT SPECIMENS. FINALLY, PMS MAY PROVIDE FORENSIC SCIENTISTS WITH A TECHNIQUE FOR COLLECTING AND DISSEMINATING MASS PYROGRAPH LIBRARIES FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND COMPARISON OF VARIOUS TYPES OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERIC PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (MJW)