Inorganic components of gunshot residue (GSR) are currently used as the indicator for the presence of GSR on a shooter's hands. With the development of non-toxic, 'lead free' ammunition, there is a need to develop a robust, efficient method for the detection and possible quantification of known organic components of GSR. Ethyl centralite, methyl centralite, diphenylamine, N-nitrosodiphenylamine, dimethyl phthalate and nitroglycerin are six common organic components identified in samples known to contain GSR. In this work, a simple isocratic separation using HPLC with diode array detection was developed to analyze these components. Samples were collected from the hands of persons known to have discharged a firearm and from spent cartridge cases. The method was able to positively identify some combination of the analytes on all samples known to contain GSR.

Identification of organic gunshot residue on surfaces using high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (LC-DAD)

247th National Meeting (2014)

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