The goal for this project is to assess the reproducibility of passive headspace extractions using activated charcoal for applicability to studies on the storage duration of ignitable liquids and extracts containing ignitable liquids. When fire debris is collected at a scene of a suspected intentional fire, the sample is placed in a metal can with an activated charcoal strip suspended inside. The can is then placed in an oven where ignitable liquids are evaporated and adsorbed to the strip. The strip is then subjected to a solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography analysis. Often, strips are preserved for future analysis and while there are ASTM guidelines for the storage method, the guidelines are backed by little research. The work here aimed to establish the reproducibility of the passive headspace extraction method to determine the feasibility of a storage study that incorporates statistical comparisons of a strip analyzed at time zero versus one that had been stored for different durations of time. Reproducibility was assessed by performing replicate passive headspace extractions using activated charcoal followed by gas chromatography analysis with flame ionization detection. The first set of replicates used raw chromatographic data while the subsequent sets of replicates included the addition of an internal standard added both prior to and after the passive headspace extraction in the oven. Relative standard deviations of less than 10% were achieved using the raw data alone and was improved by the addition of an internal standard. Once the reproducibility is established, future work will be able to explore various storage durations and conditions of charcoal strips using statistical comparisons. These will aid in establishing guidelines for storage of ignitable liquids and their extracts.

Reproducibility of passive headspace extractions for studies on the storage duration of ignitable liquids

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