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Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) offers great potential as a tool to provide chemical evidence in a forensic investigation. Many attempts to trace environmental oil spills were successful where isotopic values were particularly distinct. However, difficulties arise when a large data set is...

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Main Authors: Muhammad, Syahidah A., Russell D., Frew, Alan R., Hayman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media 2015
Subjects:
T1-995 Technology(General)
Online Access:http://eprints.usm.my/38477/1/Compound-specific_isotope_analysis_of_diesel_fuels_in_a_forensic_investigation.pdf
http://eprints.usm.my/38477/
https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2015.00012
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spelling my.usm.eprints.38477 http://eprints.usm.my/38477/ Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation Muhammad, Syahidah A. Russell D., Frew Alan R., Hayman T1-995 Technology(General) Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) offers great potential as a tool to provide chemical evidence in a forensic investigation. Many attempts to trace environmental oil spills were successful where isotopic values were particularly distinct. However, difficulties arise when a large data set is analyzed and the isotopic differences between samples are subtle. In the present study, discrimination of diesel oils involved in a diesel theft case was carried out to infer the relatedness of the samples to potential source samples. This discriminatory analysis used a suite of hydrocarbon diagnostic indices, alkanes, to generate carbon and hydrogen isotopic data of the compositions of the compounds which were then processed using multivariate statistical analyses to infer the relatedness of the data set. The results from this analysis were put into context by comparing the data with the δ13C and δ2H of alkanes in commercial diesel samples obtained from various locations in the South Island of New Zealand. Based on the isotopic character of the alkanes, it is suggested that diesel fuels involved in the diesel theft case were distinguishable. This manuscript shows that CSIA when used in tandem with multivariate statistical analysis provide a defensible means to differentiate and source-apportion qualitatively similar oils at the molecular level. This approach was able to overcome confounding challenges posed by the near single-point source of origin, i.e., the very subtle differences in isotopic values between the samples. Frontiers Media 2015-02 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://eprints.usm.my/38477/1/Compound-specific_isotope_analysis_of_diesel_fuels_in_a_forensic_investigation.pdf Muhammad, Syahidah A. and Russell D., Frew and Alan R., Hayman (2015) Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation. Frontiers in Chemistry, 3 (12). pp. 1-10. ISSN 2296-2646 https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2015.00012
institution Universiti Sains Malaysia
building Hamzah Sendut Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Sains Malaysia
content_source USM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://eprints.usm.my/
language English
topic T1-995 Technology(General)
spellingShingle T1-995 Technology(General)
Muhammad, Syahidah A.
Russell D., Frew
Alan R., Hayman
Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
description Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) offers great potential as a tool to provide chemical evidence in a forensic investigation. Many attempts to trace environmental oil spills were successful where isotopic values were particularly distinct. However, difficulties arise when a large data set is analyzed and the isotopic differences between samples are subtle. In the present study, discrimination of diesel oils involved in a diesel theft case was carried out to infer the relatedness of the samples to potential source samples. This discriminatory analysis used a suite of hydrocarbon diagnostic indices, alkanes, to generate carbon and hydrogen isotopic data of the compositions of the compounds which were then processed using multivariate statistical analyses to infer the relatedness of the data set. The results from this analysis were put into context by comparing the data with the δ13C and δ2H of alkanes in commercial diesel samples obtained from various locations in the South Island of New Zealand. Based on the isotopic character of the alkanes, it is suggested that diesel fuels involved in the diesel theft case were distinguishable. This manuscript shows that CSIA when used in tandem with multivariate statistical analysis provide a defensible means to differentiate and source-apportion qualitatively similar oils at the molecular level. This approach was able to overcome confounding challenges posed by the near single-point source of origin, i.e., the very subtle differences in isotopic values between the samples.
format Article
author Muhammad, Syahidah A.
Russell D., Frew
Alan R., Hayman
author_facet Muhammad, Syahidah A.
Russell D., Frew
Alan R., Hayman
author_sort Muhammad, Syahidah A.
title Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
title_short Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
title_full Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
title_fullStr Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
title_full_unstemmed Compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
title_sort compound-specific isotope analysis of diesel fuels in a forensic investigation
publisher Frontiers Media
publishDate 2015
url http://eprints.usm.my/38477/1/Compound-specific_isotope_analysis_of_diesel_fuels_in_a_forensic_investigation.pdf
http://eprints.usm.my/38477/
https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2015.00012
_version_ 1643709369008783360
score 13.211869

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