Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues
The identification of firearms is of paramount importance for investigating crimes involving firearms, as it establishes the link between a particular firearm and firearm-related elements found at a crime scene, such as projectiles and cartridge cases. This identification relies on the visual compar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/14/5550 |
| _version_ | 1827732159718227968 |
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| author | Miguel Serol Samir Marcos Ahmad Alexandre Quintas Carlos Família |
| author_facet | Miguel Serol Samir Marcos Ahmad Alexandre Quintas Carlos Família |
| author_sort | Miguel Serol |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The identification of firearms is of paramount importance for investigating crimes involving firearms, as it establishes the link between a particular firearm and firearm-related elements found at a crime scene, such as projectiles and cartridge cases. This identification relies on the visual comparison of such elements against reference samples from suspect firearms or those existing in databases. Whenever this approach is not possible, the chemical analysis of the gunpowder and gunshot residue can provide additional information that may assist in establishing a link between samples retrieved at a crime scene and those from a suspect or in the identification of the corresponding model and manufacturer of the ammunition used. The most commonly used method for the chemical analysis of gunshot residue is scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray, which focuses on the inorganic elements present in ammunition formulation, particularly heavy metals. However, a change in the legal paradigm is pushing changes in these formulations to remove heavy metals due to their potential for environmental contamination and the health hazards they represent. For this reason, the importance of the analysis of organic compounds is leading to the adoption of a different set of analytical methodologies, mostly based on spectroscopy and chromatography. This manuscript reviews the constitution of primer and gunpowder formulations and the analytical methods currently used for detecting, characterising, and identifying their compounds. In addition, this contribution also explores how the information provided by these methodologies can be used in ammunition identification and how it is driving the development of novel applications within forensic ballistics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:46:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3ad0a79248ef4eeb93f1fd0c4370763d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:46:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-3ad0a79248ef4eeb93f1fd0c4370763d2023-11-18T20:43:44ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492023-07-012814555010.3390/molecules28145550Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot ResiduesMiguel Serol0Samir Marcos Ahmad1Alexandre Quintas2Carlos Família3Molecular Pathology and Forensic Biochemistry Laboratory, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz (IUEM), Campus Universitário—Quinta da Granja, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Caparica, PortugalMolecular Pathology and Forensic Biochemistry Laboratory, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz (IUEM), Campus Universitário—Quinta da Granja, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Caparica, PortugalMolecular Pathology and Forensic Biochemistry Laboratory, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz (IUEM), Campus Universitário—Quinta da Granja, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Caparica, PortugalMolecular Pathology and Forensic Biochemistry Laboratory, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz (IUEM), Campus Universitário—Quinta da Granja, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Caparica, PortugalThe identification of firearms is of paramount importance for investigating crimes involving firearms, as it establishes the link between a particular firearm and firearm-related elements found at a crime scene, such as projectiles and cartridge cases. This identification relies on the visual comparison of such elements against reference samples from suspect firearms or those existing in databases. Whenever this approach is not possible, the chemical analysis of the gunpowder and gunshot residue can provide additional information that may assist in establishing a link between samples retrieved at a crime scene and those from a suspect or in the identification of the corresponding model and manufacturer of the ammunition used. The most commonly used method for the chemical analysis of gunshot residue is scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray, which focuses on the inorganic elements present in ammunition formulation, particularly heavy metals. However, a change in the legal paradigm is pushing changes in these formulations to remove heavy metals due to their potential for environmental contamination and the health hazards they represent. For this reason, the importance of the analysis of organic compounds is leading to the adoption of a different set of analytical methodologies, mostly based on spectroscopy and chromatography. This manuscript reviews the constitution of primer and gunpowder formulations and the analytical methods currently used for detecting, characterising, and identifying their compounds. In addition, this contribution also explores how the information provided by these methodologies can be used in ammunition identification and how it is driving the development of novel applications within forensic ballistics.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/14/5550chemometricschromatographygunpowdergunshot residuespectroscopy |
| spellingShingle | Miguel Serol Samir Marcos Ahmad Alexandre Quintas Carlos Família Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues Molecules chemometrics chromatography gunpowder gunshot residue spectroscopy |
| title | Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues |
| title_full | Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues |
| title_fullStr | Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues |
| title_short | Chemical Analysis of Gunpowder and Gunshot Residues |
| title_sort | chemical analysis of gunpowder and gunshot residues |
| topic | chemometrics chromatography gunpowder gunshot residue spectroscopy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/14/5550 |
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