Blog Challenge #1

This summer I will be continuing on my research from last summer in the forensic lab. The title of my research is Forensic Analysis of Hairs: Identifying Styling Product Residues on Hairs by GC-MS.

Last summer different types of hairsprays were tested in various solvents before residues were actually pulled from hair samples for best possible results. The solvents that the hairsprays were tested in were acetone, hexane, isopropanol and methanol. The methods used for testing were each of the hairsprays were mixed with 2mL of each of the solvents listed above. These samples were then placed into the sonicator 25 minutes. After sonication, samples were each syringe-filtered through 0.2 µm nylon membrane filters into GC-MS vials. The solutions in the vials were then set at different injection temperatures into the GC-MS at 200°C and 250°C. The solvent that showed the best results was isopropanol and the injected temperature that will be used is 250°C.

This summer I will be testing actual hairs to see if the method above with be able to extract hairsprays from a single hair. Four different hairsprays will be tested one by one in students hair. For testing a strand of hair, it will be cut into pieces into a test tube so all possible hairspray residues will be extracted. The pieces are then mixed with 2mL of isopropanol. The test tube is then sealed with parafilm and then sonicated for 20 minutes to an hour. These will be sonicated for two different times to see if the hairsprays will be extracted from the hair more. After being sonicated the samples will be transferred into a different test tube through a pipette without the hairs then syringe-filtered through 0.2 µm nylon membrane filters into another test tube. The solution in the test tube will then be dried out with nitrogen and then 100µm of isopropanol will be put back in the test tube. The solution will finally be transferred into GC-MS vials and be ran in the GC-MS.