Gunshot residue analysis by X-ray fluorescence

Professor J. Wang (University of California San Diego, USA) and his colleagues have applied X-ray fluorescence to the analysis of gunshot residue, which has been usually detected based on the analysis trace amounts of metallic and organic species deposited on the hands, face, hair, and clothing of the shooter. The researchers tried to couple square-wave stripping voltammetry (SWSV) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) plus energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The former method can be used as a rapid screening tool, while the latter contributes to confirmation of the presence of the characteristic morphology and metal composition of gunshot residue particles. For more information, see the paper, "Orthogonal Identification of Gunshot Residue with Complementary Detection Principles of Voltammetry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy: Sample, Screen, and Confirm", A. M. O'Mahony et al., Anal. Chem., 86, 8031 (2014).