Rapid Determination of Antimony, Barium, and Lead in Gunshot Residue Via Automated Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

A rapid yet reliable method to detect the presence of antimony, barium, and lead in gunshot residue is employed to deal with the ever-increasing use of firearms in criminal cases. Since a reduction in analysis time and operator attention is realized, a more systematic approach can be used to deal with the significance of these three elements and their relation to gunshot residue. Residues are collected with cotton swabs and 5% nitric acid and are leached overnight in nitric acid. Enhanced reproducibility is also achieved when an automatic injector system is used instead of traditional manual pipet dispenser.