Version	1	/	Date	of	Issue:	10.29.15	/	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

OSAC	Research	Needs Assessment Form

Title	of	research	need:

Keywords:

Submitting subcommittee(s): Date	Approved:

(If	SAC	review	identifies	additional	subcommittees,	add	them	to	the	box	above.)

Background	information:

1.	 Description	of	research	need:

2.	Key	bibliographic	references	relating	to	this	research	need:

3a.		In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	current	laboratory	capabilities?

Research	is	needed	to	determine	the	threshold of	identification	for	ignitable	liquids by	GC-MS.	Similar	to	the	

determination	of	a	limit	of	identification (LOI) for	a	single	compound, which	is	defined	as	the	lowest	analyte	

concentration	that	yields	a	library	searchable	mass	spectrum,	the	threshold	of	identification	is	the	minimum	

concentration	of	ignitable	liquid	that	can	be	identified	from	GC-MS	data	using accepted	pattern	identification

criteria	(e.g.	peak	ratios	of	extracted	ions).

Currie	LA.	Limits	for	qualitative	detection	and	quantitative	determination. Analytical	Chemistry, 1968;	40(3): 586-593.

Long	GL,	Winefordner	JD.	Limit	of	detection,	a	closer	look	at	the	IUPAC	definition. Analytical	Chemistry, 1983;	55(7):

712A-724A.

Tahbou YR, Zaater MF,	Barri TA.	Simultaneous	identification	and	quantitation	of	selected	organochlorine	pesticide	

residues	in	honey	by	full-scan	gas	chromatography–mass	spectrometry.	Analytica	Chimica	Acta,	2006;	558(1-2):	62-68.

Stauffer	E,	Dolan	J,	Newman	R.	Fire	Debris	Analysis.	Elsevier/Academic	Press;	2008.

Laboratories	will	be	able	to	use	this	method	to	measure	the	threshold	of	identification	for	the	

instrumentation	they	use	for	the	analysis	of	ignitable	liquids.		By	having	a	standardized	method	for	

determining	the	threshold	of	identification,	threshold	results	from	different	instruments	within	the	same	

laboratory	may	be	compared,	and	intra-laboratory	comparisons	of	instrument threshold	results	may	also	be	

made.		This	method	could	be	used	to	optimize	GC-MS	instrument	detection for	the	analysis	of	ignitable	

liquids (with	and	without	background	matrix).

Determining	the	Threshold	of	Identification	for	Ignitable	Liquids

ignitable	liquid,	threshold of	identification,	GC-MS

Fire	Debris	and	Explosives 29JAN2016
Version	1	/	Date	of	Issue:	10.29.15	/	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

3b.		In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	understanding	of	the	scientific	basis	for	the	

subcommittee(s)?

3c.		In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	services	to	the	criminal	justice	system?

4.		Status assessment	(I,	II,	III,	or	IV):		

This	research	need	has	been	identified	by	one	or	more	subcommittees	of	OSAC	and	is	being	provided	as	an	

informational	resource	to	the	community.

Major gap	

in	current	

knowledge

Minor gap	

in	current	

knowledge

No	or	

limitedcurrent	

research	is	being	

conducted

I III

Existing current	

research	is	being	

conducted

II IV

Currently, it	is	not	known	what	the	thresholds of	identification	are	for	instrumentation	used	by	

forensic	laboratories	conducting	ignitable	liquid	analysis.		This	research	would	allow	laboratories	

to	determine	the	threshold of	identification	of	their	instrumentation.

Once	a	method	for	determining	a	threshold of	detection	has	been	developed,	a	minimum	standard

for	the	threshold of	detection	may	be	set	and	this	standard	used	by	forensic	laboratories	as	part	of	

their	quality	assurance	program.

I
Version	1	/	Date	of	Issue:	10.29.15	/	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

// Approval	date:

(Approval	is	by	majority	vote	of	subcommittee.		Once	approved,	forward	to	SAC.)

1.		Does	the	SAC	agree	with	the	research	need?				Yes 							No		⃝		

2.		Does	the	SAC	agree	with	the	status assessment?				Yes										No		⃝	

If	no,	what	is	the	status assessment	of	the	SAC:

Approval	date:

(Approval	is	by	majority	vote	of	SAC.		Once	approved,	forward	to	NIST	for	posting.)

Subcommittee February	12,	2016

SAC