Accelerant Identification in Fire Debris by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Techniques

Fire debris suspected of being involved in arson fires or fire bombings is extracted and analyzed for the presence of flammable and combustible liquids by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Pentane extractions of debris or neat liquids are examined by GC/MS and the resulting GC profiles and reconstructed ion chromatograms (RICs) are used to characterize and identify accelerants. This technique, using selected ions to generate profile charts during data processing, enables the differentiation and identification of a variety of petroleum products and solvents used in arson fires.