Abstract

The invention is comprised of a methodology implemented into a software tool that allows forensic fire debris analysts to search data from a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis against the contents of a database/library containing GC-MS data from commercially available ignitable liquids to rapidly find the best match in the database library. Commercially available ignitable liquids are generally complex mixtures of hydrocarbon-based materials. The software uses a summation of all the ions generated in the mass spectral measurements on the chromatographed components of the ignitable liquid, a summed-ion spectrum. The summed-ion spectrum is compared with the summed ion spectra in the database/library through the calculation of simple similiarity and distance metrics. Commerically available software does now use the summed-ion spectrum approach, which constitutes a very unique aspect of our approach. The software tool also allows the fire debris analyst to compile data

Document Type

Patent

Patent Number

US 8,063,359

Application Serial Number

12/244,281

Issue Date

11-22-2011

Current Assignee

UCFRF

Assignee at Issuance

UCFRF

College

College of Sciences

Department

Chemistry

Allowance Date

6-21-2011

Filing Date

10-2-2008

Assignee at Filing

UCFRF

Filing Type

Nonprovisional Application Record

Donated

no

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