Method development for forensic oil identification by direct analysis in real time time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Area of Science:

• Environmental Forensics
• Analytical Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Established oil spill identification methods, like gas chromatography, are reliable but time-consuming.
• Emergency situations demand faster analytical techniques for oil spill response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an efficient oil identification method using direct analysis in real time time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DART/TOFMS).
• To compare the performance of DART/TOFMS with conventional methods for oil spill forensics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized DART/TOFMS for oil sample analysis.
• Employed statistical analyses including heatmap inspection, principal component analysis, and discriminant analysis.
• Validated results against historical data from blind round robin testing (OSINET).

Main Results:

• DART/TOFMS successfully identified oil spill samples.
• Analysis time was reduced to approximately one-tenth of traditional methods.
• Results from DART/TOFMS were comparable to gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS).

Conclusions:

• DART/TOFMS is a rapid and accurate method for oil spill identification.
• This technique has the potential to supplement classical analyses in oil spill forensics.
• The efficiency of DART/TOFMS makes it suitable for emergency oil spill situations.