Determination of gasoline and diesel residues on wool, silk, polyester and cotton materials by SPME--GC--MS

Arson is a dangerous crime; even a small amount of an ignitable liquid can cause considerable losses in property and even human life. According to the National Fire Protection Association, [...]
The identification of ignitable liquids is very important and challenging aspect in arson crime investigations. The detection of gasoline and diesel fuel components using solid phase micro-extraction prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the forensic analysis of fire debris has been carried out. Previous works show that the absorption characteristics of the substrate are one of the most important factors in determining the evaporation rate of the accelerants. In order to determine the presence of the fuel residues, four of the most common substrate materials were tested in this work; wool, cotton, silk and polyester. The obtained results indicate that both gasoline and diesel fuel accelerants persisted longer on wool and silk than on the other selected substrates. Such information illustrates the influence of fuel persistence times after extinguishing and the best materials to be scanned for ignitable liquids at the fire scene. Keywords: arson, gasoline, diesel, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, solid phase micro-extraction, SPME