EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM - A PHOTOLUMINESCENCE TECHNIQUE FOR THE DETECTION OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE

• NCJ Number: 19449
• Author(s): P F JONES; R S NESBITT
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 40 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-025-73
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Aerospace Corporation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RAPID, CONVENIENT DETECTION OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE ON THE HANDS OF A SUSPECT FOLLOWING A SHOOTING CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE PHOTOLUMINESCENCE DETERMINATION OF LEAD (PB) AND ANTIMONY (SB) FROM THE BULLET PRIMER.

Abstract

FOLLOWING THE FIRING OF A GUN, THE BACKS OF BOTH HANDS ARE WASHED IN A STREAM OF DISTILLED WATER. EACH HANDWASHING IS FILTERED, AND THE RESIDUE COLLECTED ON A MEMBRANE FILTER IS DISSOLVED IN HYDROCHLORIC ACID. LEAD (II) AND SB(III) FORM CHLORIDE ION COMPLEXES WITH THE ACID, WHICH LUMINESCE STRONGLY UPON SELECTIVE ULTRAVIOLET EXCITATION AT LOW TEMPERATURE. UPON EXCITATION, THE PB AND SB COMPLEXES EMIT LIGHT WITH MAXIMA AT WAVELENGTHS CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE TWO METALLIC ELEMENTS. BY THE USE OF THIS PROCEDURE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO DETECT AS LITTLE AS 1.0 NG OF PB AND 10 NG OF SB. THE TOTAL TIME FOR SAMPLE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS IS LESS THEN 30 MINUTES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)