Organic gunshot residue as forensic evidence

Organic gunshot residue (OGSR) is a trace residue released during firearm discharge. It includes unburned, partially burned, and pyrolyzed components of the propellant (smokeless powder) and other organic substances (stabilizers, plasticizers, flame suppressants). Recently, the forensic community has shown interest in complementing standard SEM-EDS methods for the detection of inorganic gunshot residue (IGSR), with analytical methods that can detect the organic constituents. Unlike IGSR, which consists mainly of microscopic particles released from the primer (i.e., Pb, Ba, Sb), OGSR offers direct evidence related to the propellant formulation. The main components yielding OGSR are the stabilizers, like diphenylamine (DPA), ethyl centralite (EC), and akardite (AKII)), and the energetic explosives, like nitroglycerin (NG)) and nitrocellulose (NC) used in the smokeless powder (SP). In this study, we hypothesize that partially burnt and neat smokeless powders will exhibit different stability and degradation products. Monitoring these products using mass spectrometry methods can expand the scope of current analytical OGSR detection and provide insights into the stability of these residues recovered from forensic substrates (skin, clothing, etc.).

Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Mayer

Student:

Partner:

West Virginia University

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Clean Technology; Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Technology

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: