This article reports on a project in which gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) data of ignitable liquids in the Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection (ILRC) database were processed to obtain 445 total ion spectra (TIS), that is, average mass spectra across the chromatographic profile.
Hierarchical cluster analysis, an unsupervised learning technique, was applied to find features useful for classification of ignitable liquids. A combination of the correlation distance and average linkage was used for grouping ignitable liquids with similar chemical composition. This study evaluated whether hierarchical cluster analysis of the TIS would cluster together ignitable liquids of the same ASTM class assignment, as designated in the ILRC database. The ignitable liquids clustered based on their chemical composition, and the ignitable liquids within each cluster were predominantly from one ASTM E1618-11 class. These results reinforce use of the TIS as a tool to aid in forensic fire debris analysis. (publisher abstract modified)
Downloads
Similar Publications
- A ROC-based Approximate Bayesian Computation Algorithm for Model Selection: Application to Fingerprint Comparisons in Forensic Science
- Validation of a Confirmatory Proteomic Mass Spectrometry Body Fluid Assay for Use in Publicly Funded Forensic Laboratories
- Identification of menstrual blood markers by proteomic mass spectrometry