Identification and highly selective differentiation of organic gunshot residues utilizing their elemental and molecular signatures.

Firearm related evidence is of great significance to forensic science. In recent years, many researchers have focused on exploring the probative value of organic gunshot residue (OGSR) evidence, which is often bolstered by many factors including recoverability. In addition, OGSR analysis has shown the potential to achieve differentiation between OGSRs generated from various ammunition brands and/or calibers. Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopic technique which has been used in the past for gunshot residue analysis-including OGSR specifically. Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive, highly-selective, simple, and rapid technique which provides molecular information about samples. LIBS or Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy is a simple, robust, and rapid analytical method which requires minimal to no sample preparation and a small amount of sample for analysis. LIBS provides information on the elemental compositions of samples. In this study, Raman spectroscopy and LIBS were used together in sequence in an attempt to achieve the specific identification and characterization of OGSR particles from ammunition types which were closely related. The main goal was to determine if this method had the potential to differentiate between various ammunition types of the same caliber and produced by the same manufacturer, and generated under identical firing conditions. High-resolution optical microscopy documented the OGSR particles' morphologies and Raman spectroscopy was used to identify particles as OGSRs. Finally, LIBS analysis of the OGSR particles was carried out. Advanced chemometric techniques were shown to allow for very successful differentiation between the OGSR samples analyzed.

A Novel Two-Step Method for the Detection of Organic Gunshot Residue for Forensic Purposes: Fast Fluorescence Imaging Followed by Raman Microspectroscopic Identification.

Gunshot residue (GSR) is potentially key evidence during a criminal investigation of a shooting accident. Current standardized forensic science methods target the detection of inorganic GSR (IGSR). In this proof-of-concept study, a new two-step method for the detection and identification of organic GSR (OGSR) is proposed. This method utilizes highly sensitive fluorescence hyperspectral imaging of a sample area to detect potential GSR particles, followed by confirmatory identification of the detected particles using Raman microspectroscopy. In this study, two different GSR samples on adhesive tape substrates were created. One sample was made by manually placing a known amount of OGSR particles onto an adhesive tape substrate. The second sample mimicked a real crime scene situation and had an unknown number of GSR particles mounted onto an adhesive tape substrate using a most common tape-lifting procedure for the recovery of GSR from the skin of a suspect and other surfaces. These two samples were subjected to the developed two-step analysis method. It was found that this method was accurately able to detect and identify all OGSR particles. Representative spectra of OGSR particles showed characteristic Raman peaks at 850 cm-1, 1287 cm-1, and 2970 cm-1. This methodology offers a promising means to meet current needs within the framework of GSR analysis by providing a way to accurately detect and identify OGSR.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy: A review of recent applications in forensic science.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy has many advantages over its parent technique of Raman spectroscopy. Some of these advantages such as increased sensitivity and selectivity and therefore the possibility of small sample sizes and detection of small concentrations are invaluable in the field of forensics. A variety of new SERS surfaces and novel approaches are presented here on a wide range of forensically relevant topics.