Activated Charcoal Pellets as an Innovative Method for Forensic Analysis of Ignitable Liquid Residues from Fire Debris by GC-MS

Abstract

In Forensic Chemistry, evidence collected at a crime scene is of paramount importance for any case to be properly elucidated. Ignitable liquid residues are important chemical evidence in investigations into cases of fire because these substances can be correlated to arson. Here, we describe an innovative technique for sampling and extracting gasoline and diesel from fire debris by using activated charcoal pellets (ACP). ACP can be an alternative to activated charcoal strips and can be easily produced on the laboratory scale. The ACP approach allowed all the target compounds selected for gasoline and diesel fuels to be extracted. Among the six tested extraction conditions, optimal extraction occurred at 100 °C, after 240 min. These preliminary results showed the potential of ACP for detecting gasoline and diesel in fire debris. However, the ACP approach still requires analytical validation, so that its applicability in an authentic forensic setting can be explored.