Project Director

Potts, Gretchen

Department Examiner

Park, Han J.

Department

Dept. of Chemistry

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The analysis of gunshot residue (GSR) is frequently used to aid in investigating firearm-related crimes. Typically, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is applied for inorganic analysis of elements such as lead, barium, and antimony to study GSR. However, heavy metal-free ammunition creates the need for a different type of approach. This research focuses on studying the potential of detecting organic gunshot residue (OGSR) collected with silicone wristbands through passive sampling. This study has been directed towards the development of an optimal High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) procedure for the detection and separation of five selected compounds typically found in OGSR. The chosen residues were dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diphenylamine (DPA), 2-nitrodiphenylamine (2-NDPA), 4-nitrodiphenylamine (4-NDPA), and ethyl centralite (EC). Through calculating figures of merit for different HPLC conditions, the most suitable mobile phase was determined to be water/acetonitrile (52:48) using a Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column with temperature programming. Other findings of this research showed that silicone wristbands are capable of adsorbing the selected compounds. These initial studies are expected to aid further research in OGSR as well as the use of silicone wristbands as passive sampling devices (PSDs).

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2020

Subject

Chemistry, Forensic; Firearms; Ammunition; Gunshot residues -- Analysis

Keyword

Organic gunshot residue; Passive sampling; Silicone wristbands; HPLC

Discipline

Chemistry

Document Type

Theses

Extent

43 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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Chemistry Commons

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