Journal Published Online: 01 March 1993
Volume 38, Issue 2

Forensic Comparison of Household Aluminum Foils Using Elemental Composition by Inductively Coupled Plasma—Atomic Emission Spectrometry

CODEN: JFSCAS

Abstract

Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) provides the precision, sensitivity, and specificity for element concentration determinations required for good discrimination among sources of household aluminum foil. The concentrations of copper (Cu), gallium (Ga), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) were determined in aluminum foil by ICP-AES with analytical precisions (rsd) in the 1 to 2% range and nickel (Ni) and silicon (Si) with analytical precisions of about 5%. For these ten elements, the combined analytical uncertainties and variations along the length of a single roll of foil are much smaller than the variations from roll to roll, both within a single brand and across brands. The aluminum foils in this study exhibit measurable roll-to-roll compositional variation across the different brand names as well as across those rolls produced by the same manufacturer in different production runs. In some instances, rolls of foil produced in a single production run have analytically distinguishable compositions. Thus, a high degree of discrimination capability exists among sources of household aluminum foil.

Author Information

Koons, RD
Forensic Science Research Unit, FBI Laboratory, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA
Peters, CA
Elemental and Metals Analysis Unit, FBI Laboratory, Washington, DC
Merrill, RA
Forensic Science Research Unit, FBI Laboratory, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA
Pages: 14
Price: $25.00
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Stock #: JFS13409J
ISSN: 0022-1198
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13409J