Improved method for the detection of TATP after explosion

Dan Muller, A. Levy, R. Shelef, S. Abramovich-Bar, D. Sonenfeld, T. Tamiri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

TATP in post explosion exhibits was reported earlier to be best recovered from vapor phase. A typical procedure includes its adsorption on Amberlite XAD-7, elution with acetonitrile and analysis by GC/MS. In this work, improved recovery of TATP from the vapor phase was achieved by SPME using PDMS/DVB fiber and immediate sampling to GC/MS. The recovery of TATP by SPME was compared with headspace and with adsorption on Amberlite XAD-7 by spiking onto filter paper put in a 100 mL beaker. The limit of detection of TATP was 6.4 ng in these conditions, few orders magnitude more than in the other tested methods. Recovery of TATP in the presence of various solvents was also studied. Acetone, water, and mixtures of water:alcohols (1:1) were found to reduce the recovery of TATP. Using SPME, TATP has been identified in dozens of post-explosion cases.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)935-938
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Forensic Sciences
Volume49
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Forensic science
  • Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
  • Headspace
  • Post-explosion analysis
  • Solid-phase microextraction
  • Triacetone triperoxide

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Genetics

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