ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 October 1978
Page Count: 8

Trace Element Profiles and Ratios Determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis for Fine Paper Identification
Blanchard, DB
Deputy chief, National Bureau of Standards,

Harrison, SH
Deputy chief, National Bureau of Standards,

(Received 8 August 1977; accepted 2 March 1978)

Abstract

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has been applied to virtually every type of evidentiary material for forensic purposes, including glass, rubber, narcotics, soil, and paper [1–5]. Literature to date on sample identification of fine paper (book or bond-type writing papers) by INAA has not emphasized the value of trace element concentration profiles or elemental ratios. It is to this area of sample identification that this investigation was directed. Some assets of INAA that make it suitable for forensic analysis are (1) the often nondestructive nature of the technique, which is valuable in many legal situations; (2) extremely high sensitivity, allowing small samples of evidentiary material to be used when mutilation is permitted; and (3) the ability to analyze for many elements in a single sample.

Keywords:

Paper ID: JFS10723J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS10723J
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