Citation

Kerr TJ. J. Sep. Sci. 2018; 41(21): 4055-4066.

Affiliation

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jssc.201800556

PMID

30194809

Abstract

Identification of ignitable liquids from fire debris is such a major part of an arson investigation, that much time and effort has gone into advancing sample preparation techniques to capture complicated and unexpected hydrocarbon compounds. Advancements in sample preparation have been made in order to account for biodegradation of commonly used accelerants; rarely encountered compounds, such as vegetable oils, biodiesel and alcohols. Improvements have also been made to manage interference from the sample matrix, particularly with regards to new materials. This paper reviews the sample preparation techniques which are foundational to fire debris analysis as well as recent advances. Also explored are modifications to the traditional sample preparation methods to accommodate the analysis of environmental samples (soil and water). and the presence of vegetable oils and biofuels on the fire scene. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

alternative fuels; extraction techniques; fire debris; ignitable liquids; sample preparation