Detection of Nanoscale Soil Organic Matter by Middle Infrared Spectrum for Forensic Science

Abstract

Soil is useful as a kind of trace evidence for forensic science. Thus it is very crucial to identify sources of soil. The nanoscale soil organic matter (NSOMs) can be used to differentiate soil sources because their constituents and contents are relatively stable with time but variant by location. In this study, NSOMs from eighteen regions of Shandong Province in China were examined by middle infrared spectrum (4000–400 cm−1). The results showed that the constituents and contents of NSOMs in eighteen samples were dramatically different; a NSOM fingerprint for each sample was drawn based on these characteristics. This suggests that a national or global NSOM fingerprint database could be rapidly established by the one-step middle infrared spectrum analysis for different soil samples, which will be helpful to determine crime scenes by comparing the middle infrared spectrum of forensic soil with the NSOMs fingerprint database.