View related articlesView Crossmark data analyzed on a Perkin Elmer 65 FTIR spectrometer coupled to an ATR accessory. A spectral window of 4000-525 cm À1 was used and 32 scans were accumulated at 1cm À1 resolution. Results: Figure 1 shows the FTIR spectra of methanol and n-hexane for the sample used. From the spectra it is clear that methanol is a better extractor than n-hexane. Of the eight solvents used, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone and methanol had the better extraction efficiency of gunpowder (GP) while n-hexane and dichloromethane were not able to extract GP. Discussion and conclusions: This study showed that the best solvents for extraction of GP are the more polar solvents containing carbonyl (C ¼ O) and hydroxyl (OH) groups. The best extraction solvents were Methyl ethyl ketone and acetone followed by methanol.