Forensic analysis of ignitable liquid using MonoTrap and its evaluation

Abstract

 It is necessary to extract ignitable liquid residue from fire debris samples at scenes of arson using gasoline or kerosene as accelerants. Because extraction is essential for fire debris analysis and greatly influences the composition of ignitable liquid residues, analysts have to understand the features of extraction methods and their proper conditions. To this purpose, we tested MonoTrap as an extraction method and then analyzed extracts by conducting gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). We evaluated the effects of adsorption temperature, time, desorbing solvents, sample concentration, and the presence of water vapor on the composition of extracts. The result suggested that MonoTrap can be used successfully for forensic purposes and provided its proper conditions for extraction.