Faculty Mentor Name
Rachael Schmidt
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Fiber trace evidence is one of the most common forms of evidence found at a crime scene; these evidentiary items often have unique flame retardant chemical compositions or volatile chemical signatures. The retardant compounds can be used as an additional piece of evidence to trace a fiber from a victim to a source sample. This analytical comparison will require the use of specialized equipment available at the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This equipment and instrumentation includes scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), using both liquid and volatile samples. The volatile analysis will be performed using solid phase microextraction (SPME) which allows for non-destructive testing of samples. Each instrument allows for a different means of flame retardant identification in carpets and fibers. This project aims to determine the feasibility of creating a universal testing protocol to match any flame retardant compounds present in an unknown or trace evidentiary sample to a known or crime scene sample.
Included in
Identification of Fire-Retardant Chemical Treatments Via Instrumental Analysis
Fiber trace evidence is one of the most common forms of evidence found at a crime scene; these evidentiary items often have unique flame retardant chemical compositions or volatile chemical signatures. The retardant compounds can be used as an additional piece of evidence to trace a fiber from a victim to a source sample. This analytical comparison will require the use of specialized equipment available at the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This equipment and instrumentation includes scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), using both liquid and volatile samples. The volatile analysis will be performed using solid phase microextraction (SPME) which allows for non-destructive testing of samples. Each instrument allows for a different means of flame retardant identification in carpets and fibers. This project aims to determine the feasibility of creating a universal testing protocol to match any flame retardant compounds present in an unknown or trace evidentiary sample to a known or crime scene sample.