Forensic Investigation of Perfume Residues on Fabric Samples by

Gas Chromatography

Kun Woo Cho (Williamsville East High School)

A Brief History of Fragrances and Perfumes

§ Used for centuries (BC 4000 ancient Egypt)

§ Obtained from natural products§ Placed in alcohol solution§ Fragrances synthesized by organic

chemistry

Composition of Commercial Perfumes

§ 3 “notes” (layers)� Head Note

§ Highly volatile§ Citrus and ginger

� Heart Note § Intermediately volatile§ Lavender and rose

� Base Note § Least volatile§ Amber and musk

http://www.tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/Moschus.300a.jpg

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/1/15259/03_2008/citrus.jpg

Compositions and Classification of Perfume Products

§ Classifications� Perfume extract (Extrait):

15-40% � Eau de Parfum (EdP),

Parfum de Toilette (PdT): 10-20%

� Eau de Toilette (EdT): 5-15%� Eau de Cologne (EdC): 3-8% � Splash and After shave:

1-3%

§ Compositions� Head Note

§ Highly volatile§ Citrus and ginger

� Heart Note § Intermediately

volatile§ Lavender and rose

� Base Note § Least volatile§ Amber and musk

Perfumes in Forensics

§ Evidence that may/may not link one person to a crime scene

§ Determine how long ago incident occurred

§ And many more…

Chemical Analysis of Perfumes by Gas Chromatography (GC)

HP-5890 Series II GC

Interpretation of GC Data

§ Retention Time & Peak Area � Qualitative - how many components -

number of peaks� Quantitative - how much of each component

- peak area/height two peaks: two components

A > B

B

A

Our Research Goals:

§ Identify perfumes based on components§ How long perfume components remain on

fabric samplesa. 3 commercial perfumes (A, B, and C)b. Cotton, nylon, silk, and polyesterc. 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72 hrs, 7 days, and 14 days

§ Extract residue using ethanol and analyze sample by GC

Experimental Details

§ Place 30 µL sample on fabric§ Place fabric in 500 µL of ethanol and sonicate§ Extract ~300 µL§ Add an equal amount of an internal standard

(vanillin)§ Injector/Detector Temperature: 280 and 300 °C§ Oven Temperature: 50 to 230°C (3°C/min) § Remain at 230°C for 5 minutes.§ Total 65 min per sample

Chromatogram of Perfume A

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Peak

Inte

nsity

Time (min)

more than 67 components Eau de Cologne (EdC): 3-8%Relatively low peak height

Perfume A

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

cotton nylon

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

polyester silk

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

Chromatogram of Perfume B

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Peak

Inte

nsity

Time (min)

more than 100 components Parfum de Toilette (PdT): 10-20%

00.020.040.060.080.1

0.120.14

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

Perfume Bnylon

00.020.040.060.080.1

0.120.14

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

00.020.040.060.08

0.10.120.14

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

polyester silk

00.020.040.060.08

0.10.120.14

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

cotton

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

Chromatogram of Perfume C

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Peak

Inte

nsity

Time (min)

more than 100 components Eau de Toilette (EdT): 5-15%

Perfume C

0

0.004

0.008

0.012

0.016

0.02

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

0

0.004

0.008

0.012

0.016

0.02

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

0

0.004

0.008

0.012

0.016

0.02

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

0

0.004

0.008

0.012

0.016

0.02

1 hour 4 hours

8 hours

12 hours

24 hours

48 hours

72 hours

1 week

2 weeks

nylon

polyester silk

cotton

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

norm

aliz

ed p

eak

area

Summary and Conclusions

§ Each perfume contains distinguishable chemical components with different amounts

§ All peak areas decreased over time§ Perfumes stay longer on cotton (~14 days)§ Less volatile components stay longer§ It is possible to identify a perfume based on

the residual compounds within a certain period of time

Future Studies

§ Identify and label major components in perfumes

§ Construction of larger forensic database§ Test on a variety of fabrics and

environmental conditions§ Apply principles to other products such

as gasoline and other volatile solutions

Acknowledgements

§ Financial support from the Office of Undergraduate Research via Early Undergraduate Research Program Sponsored by College College's NSF-STEP grant (DUE-0431517)

§ Chemistry Department