Accelerant identification in fire debris by TCT/GC/MS.

The chemical detection of ignitable fuel traces in fire debris is a challenge requiring highly
sensitive, hyphenated analytical systems. One coupled system suitable for the task is thermal
desorption cold trap injection-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TCT-GC-MS). In this study,
thermal desorption and cryogenic trapping were optimized to eliminate matrix interferences and
to enrich target compounds in fire debris. Subsequent GC-MS provided chromatographic profiles
of target ionic species required for the unequivocal identification of accelerants.