ASTM E1386-95

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
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Designation: E 1386 – 95
Standard Practice for
Separation and Concentration of Ignitable Liquid Residues
from Fire Debris Samples by Solvent Extraction
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1386; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope from Fire Debris Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass
Spectrometry
1.1 This practice covers the procedure for removing small
quantities of flammable or combustible liquid residue from
3. Summary of Practice
samples of fire debris using solvent to extract the residue.
3.1 A sample of fire debris is extracted with an organic
1.2 This practice is suitable for successfully extracting
solvent. The extract is filtered and concentrated using dry
flammable or combustible liquid residues over the entire range
nitrogen, filtered air, or inert gas.
of concentrations.
1.3 Alternate separation and concentration procedures are
4. Significance and Use
listed in Test Method E 1387.
4.1 This practice is useful for preparing extracts from fire
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the
debris for later analysis by gas chromatography, GC/MS, or
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
GC/IR.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
4.2 This is a very sensitive separation procedure, capable of
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
isolating quantities smaller than 1 μL of ignitable liquid residue
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. For a specific
from a sample.
hazard statement, see Note 1.
4.3 This practice is particularly useful when the potential for
2. Referenced Documents fractionation during separation must be reduced, as when
attempting to distinguish between various grades of fuel oil.
2.1 ASTM Standards:
4.4 This practice is particularly useful for the extraction of
E 752 Practice for Safety and Health Requirements Relating
2 nonporous surfaces such as glass, or the interior of burned
to Occupational Exposure to Carbon Disulfide
containers. It is also particularly well suited to the extraction of
E 1385 Practice for Separation and Concentration of Ignit-
materials from very small samples.
able Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Steam
4.5 This practice can be hampered by coincident extraction
Distillation
of interfering compounds present in the fire debris samples.
E 1387 Test Method for Ignitable Liquid Residues in Ex-
4.6 This practice may not be useful for the extraction of
tracts from Samples of Fire Debris by Gas Chromatogra-
3 some Class 0 and Class 1 ignitable liquids, which may
phy
evaporate during the concentration step.
E 1412 Practice for Separation and Concentration of Ignit-
4.7 This is a destructive technique. Those portions of the
able Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Passive
3 sample subjected to this procedure may not be suitable for
Headspace Concentration
resampling. Consider using passive headspace concentration as
E 1413 Practice for Separation and Concentration of Ignit-
described in Practice E 1412.
able Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Dy-
namic Headspace Concentration
5. Reagents and Materials
E 1459 Guide for Physical Evidence Labeling and Related
5.1 Purity of Reagents—Reagent grade chemicals shall be
Documentation
used in all tests. It is intended that all reagents conform to the
E 1492 Practice for Receiving, Documenting, Storing, and
specifications of the Committee on Analytical Reagents of the
Retrieving Evidence in a Forensic Science Laboratory
American Chemical Society where such specifications are
E 1618 Guide for Ignitable Liquid Residues in Extracts
available. Other grades may be used, provided it is first
1 4
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E30 on Forensic Reagent Chemicals, American Chemical Society Specifications,American
Sciences and is the direct responsibility of E30.01 on Criminalistics. Chemical Society, Washington, DC for suggestions on the testing of reagents not
Current edition approved Oct. 10, 1995.
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