Identification trace residue of solid alcohol fuel in arson case
Keywords:
Solid Alcohol Fuel, Ethanol, Isopropanol, SPME GC-MS, ArsonAbstract
Arson is one of the most dangerous crimes. Fires can extensively damage properties and endanger human lives. Accelerant probably used in arson fires was solid alcohol fuel sources. The objectives of this work were for the detection and identification of ignitable solid alcohol fuel residues by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. In this experiment, one piece of solid alcohol fuel was placed on a pile of cloth (20 x 20 x 15 cm) and then the samples were ignited using a gas torch. The fires were left to burn freely for thirty minutes and extinguished with dry chemical. The burnt remains were collected immediately and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 hours after the fire had been put out and analyzed by SPME-GCMS. The results showed that remains burned with ethanol and isopropanol tested positive for solid alcohol fuels, while those burned without solid alcohol fuel tested negative. The ethanol and isopropanol components on samples collected at 7 hours after the fire were still detected. This work reveals the capability of the method used to identify solid alcohol fuel residues that may be applicable in forensic investigation cases.
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