Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
FUEL
HEAT OXYGEN
The Chemistry of Fire
Combustion -
The Chemistry of Fire
The Chemistry of Fire
A fuel will produce a flame only when it is in the gaseous state.
Flashpoint:
Accelerant Flashpoint (oC)
Acetone -20
Gasoline -46
Kerosene 52-96
Mineral Spirits 40-43
Turpentine 32-46
Pyrolysis:
BASIC METHOD OF A FIRE INVESTIGATION
Fire investigation
Point of Origin (POO) Interior Examination
◦ Defined as where the fire o Work backward in relation
originated. to fire travel and from least
◦ Cause of fire may be near the to most damage.
POO.
◦ Fire usually burns longer at o Ceiling damage may lead to
POO. POO.
◦ If accelerants or ignition devices
used, they may be present at the
o In accidental fires, floor
POO.
damage is limited in respect
◦ Multiple POO’s MAY indicate
to the ceiling damage.
arson.
◦ “V” patterns usually point to the
POO.
◦ Extensive ceiling damages may
be present above the POO.
patterns
Char Patterns – Created by very hot fires that
burn very quickly and move fast along its
path, so that there can be sharp lines
between what is burned and what isn't.
V-Patterns -
Inverted Cone Pattern:
Alligatoring Pattern:
Spalling Pattern:
Streamer Pattern:
Arc Damage Pattern:
Pool or plant:
Glass –
•
Arson indicators: what do you think?
General Arson Indicators Owner Occupant Indicators
Arson indicaters: What do you think?
A portable
hydrocarbon
detector
Vehicle Fires
Arson investigation
Discovering Bodies
often bodies will be part buried in debris and often difficult to
recognize.
The strip is then washed with a small volume of carbon disulfide and
the solvent is injected into the GC/MS
100x more sensitive than headspace analysis
At the suspect point of origin of a fire, ash and soot, along with porous
materials which may contain excess accelerant, should be collected and
stored in airtight containers, leaving an airspace to remove samples.
Solid Phase Extraction (SPE)
A separation process by which compounds
that are dissolved or suspended in a liquid
mixture are separated from other compounds
in the mixture according to their physical and
chemical properties. Solid phase extraction
can be used to isolate analytes of interest from
a wide variety of matrices, including urine,
blood, water, beverages, soil, and animal
tissue.
The result is that either the desired analytes of
interest or undesired impurities in the sample
are retained on the stationary phase. The
portion that passes through the stationary
phase is collected or discarded, depending on
whether it contains the desired analytes or
undesired impurities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCjF50wrzn4
Methods for Isolating and Concentrating
Accelerants
Accelerant lab testing
Catalytic Combustion Detectors: The most common flammable vapor
detector operates on the catalytic combustion principle.
Flame Ionization Detector: In the flame ionization detector the sample
gas is mixed with hydrogen and the mixture is burned.
Gas Liquid Chromatograph: The portable gas liquid chromatograph
(GLC) is one of the most common detectors in arson investigations.
Infrared Spectrophotomer: Infrared spectophotometers can achieve
high specificity to flammable liquids and high sensitivity.
Ultraviolet Fluorescence: This procedure consists of illuminating the
darkened fire scene with an ultraviolet lamp.
Laser ablation: This process allows the removal material from a small
sample’s surface by irradiating its surface with a laser beam.
Gas Chromatography
In the laboratory, the gas chromatograph is the most sensitive and
reliable instrument for detecting and characterizing flammable residues.
The vast majority of arsons are initiated by petroleum distillates such as
gasoline and kerosene.
The gas chromatograph separates the hydrocarbon components and
produces a chromatographic pattern characteristic of a particular
petroleum product.
By comparing select gas chromatographic peaks recovered from fire-
scene debris to known flammable liquids, a forensic analyst may be
able to identify the accelerant used to initiate the fire.
Can tell what type of hydrocarbon is
present such as: benzene, toluene,
xylenes, alcohols, methane, pentane,
butane, ethane, hexane, etc.
Gas Chromatography
Arson labs often use a method called gas chromatography/mass
spectrometry detector (GC/MSD) to determine the composition of the
accelerants or explosives found.
MS GC
Synthetics:
◦ May be thermoplastic – melts without degrading
◦ May be thermosetting (resin) – degrades, chars, may smolder
Other fuel types:
◦ Elastomers (rubbers): Synthetic or natural
◦ Leather – Wool – Silk: Proteinaceous (from animals)