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High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography–Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy–Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Method for Acrylic and Polyester Forensic Fiber Dye Analysis *
Author(s) -
Petrick Lauren M.,
Wilson Trevor A.,
Ronald Fawcett W.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2006.00155.x
Subject(s) - polyester , mass spectrometry , chromatography , electrospray ionization , electrospray , chemistry , fiber , ultraviolet , ultraviolet visible spectroscopy , acetonitrile , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , organic chemistry , optoelectronics
A critical point of comparison between a fiber collected from a crime scene and a fiber from a known source is the color. Fiber dye analysis using thin‐layer chromatography or ultraviolet (UV)–visible (Vis) microspectrophotometry provides useful, although limited, data for comparison. High‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/MS) overcomes these limitations by integrating chromatography, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry into a single instrument. In order to evaluate the applicability of the LC/MS to forensic fiber dye analysis, a multi‐stage chromatographic method using acidified water and acidified acetonitrile was developed that separated and identified a mixture of 15 basic and 13 disperse dye standards. The LC/MS also detected and analyzed dyes extracted from individual 0.5 cm acrylic and polyester fibers, demonstrating its applicability to this type of analysis. With regard to the analysis of disperse dyes in polyester fibers, the replacement of pyridine with acetonitrile in the extraction system allowed direct injection of the extracts into the LC/MS. The advantage of the LC/MS over other instrumental methods of textile dye analysis is demonstrated by the analysis and differentiation of three black acrylic fibers: two fibers had similar UV–Vis spectra but were differentiated with chromatography and two had similar UV–Vis spectra and chromatograms but were differentiated using the mass spectrometer.