NCJ Number
51785
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1978) Pages: 637-642
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
THE POSSIBILITY OF USING SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) TO IDENTIFY BURNT MATCHES BY EXAMINING MORPHOLOGY AND ANALYZING ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION WAS TESTED USING 16 DIFFERENT MAKES OF MATCHES.
Abstract
THE MATCHES USED IN THE TEST HAD VARIOUS HEAD COLORS, DIFFERENT CROSS SECTIONS, AND DIFFERENT LENGTHS. THEY WERE INVESTIGATED MORPHOLOGICALLY AND ANALYZED IN BOTH THE BURNT AND UNBURNT STATE. MORPHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION REVEALED THAT THE FIBER STRUCTURE REMAINS ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED BY BURNING. A COMPARISON OF VARIOUS TYPES OF MATCHES SHOWS SOME DIFFERENCES IN ELEMENTAL COMPOSITIONS OF A QUALITATIVE OR SEMIQUANTITATIVE NATURE. SAMPLES OF BURNT MATCH HEADS WERE ANALYZED AT VARIOUS MAGNIFICATIONS; VARIATIONS IN SIGNAL INTENSITIES WERE OBSERVED WHEN DIFFERENT PARTS OF A MATCH HEAD WERE ANALYZED, ALTHOUGH THE RELATIVE ORDER OF ELEMENTAL CONCENTRATIONS WAS THE SAME. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF UNBURNT AND BURNT MATCH HEADS WAS ALSO PERFORMED, AND THE SPECIMENS EXHIBITED THE SAME ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION EXCEPT FOR WEAKER TOTAL SIGNALS AND HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF SULFUR FOR UNBURNT MATCHES. ALTHOUGH THE PRESENCE OF PHOSPHOROUS, THE COMPOSITIONS OF MATCH HEADS, AND THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE STICKS APPEAR TO BE THE SAME, IDENTIFICATION BY SEM IS POSSIBLE WITHIN CERTAIN LIMITS, SINCE DIFFERENT MATCHES PRODUCED IN DIFFERENT FACTORIES SHOW CHARACTERISTIC ELEMENTAL COMPOSITIONS DISTINGUISHABLE BY X-RAY ANALYSIS. FIGURES ILLUSTRATE THE ANALYSIS DATA. (DAG)