Abstract
In recent years, forensic scientists have become increasingly interested in the detection and interpretation of organic gunshot residues (OGSR) due to the increasing use of lead- and heavy metal-free ammunition. This has also been prompted by the identification of gunshot residue- (GSR-) like particles in environmental and occupational samples. Various techniques have been investigated for their ability to detect OGSR. Mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to a chromatographic system is a powerful tool due to its high selectivity and sensitivity. Further, modern MS instruments can detect and identify a number of explosives and additives which may require different ionization techniques. Finally, MS has been applied to the analysis of both OGSR and inorganic gunshot residue (IGSR), although the “gold standard” for analysis is scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microscopy (SEM-EDX). This review presents an overview of the technical attributes of currently available MS and ionization techniques and their reported applications to GSR analysis.
Highlights
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the analysis of inorganic gunshot residues (IGSR) was introduced in 1974 by the Aerospace Corporation [1]
The developed method exhibited excellent precision and good accuracy and was able to detect Sb, Ba, and Pb down to 0.5 ng, 0.2 ng, and 1.4 ng, respectively, per swab pair using a 10 mL extraction volume. These results demonstrated the superiority of ICP-Mass spectrometry (MS) compared with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) and ICP coupled with atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), both of which have higher limit of detection (LOD)
Mass spectrometry has been increasingly investigated in the field of GSR analysis for application to both inorganic and organic GSR
Summary
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the analysis of inorganic gunshot residues (IGSR) was introduced in 1974 by the Aerospace Corporation [1]. These sources have been demonstrated to generate IGSR-like particles and may contribute to the risk of false positives in some situations For these reasons, it has become necessary to refocus on the full informational content of GSR as a forensic trace and on those compounds that are analysed by SEM-EDX. Mass spectrometry is a highly sensitive and selective analytical technique used to detect and quantify elements and/or compounds and elucidate organic structures [21] Another advantage of MS is its applicability to using a library database.
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