The Forensic Analysis of Wooden Stick Matches - Projects at NFSTC ...

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DConclusions:The matches found at the crime scenes were similar visually and chemically to thosefrom the suspect. Therefore the matches at the scenes could have come from the samesource as those from the suspect.Match head color differs considerably among different waterproof match brands and istherefore a very good discriminating tool. Polymer coatings on match heads also arevariable – especially between non-waterproof and waterproof matches. Therefore,polymer coatings can provide additional information and discrimination between woodenstick matches.Waterproof matches are highly variable and also somewhat limited in the number ofavailable brands in Southern California (and also possibly in other areas of the country).Part II: Additional Casework Applications:Since 1999, more wooden stick matches have been analyzed in two additional arsoncases. In one of these cases, ‘strike-on-box’, burned and unburned wooden stick matchesrepresenting nine different match head colors and various countries of origin/manufacturers were analyzed for their elemental content. Portions of the match heads ofeach sample were placed on carbon tape atop an aluminum sample holder and analyzedusing an FEI Quanta 400 variable pressure SEM with an EDAX EDX detector. Theelemental compositions of the burned and unburned match heads are depicted in Table 2:8
ManufacturerAnd/orCountryUnited Match/JapanBelgiumJapanAdmatch/JapanCanadaDiamond (n=250)/USADiamond (n=32)/USALastar/JapanPenley/ChinaDiamond/USAAtlasUnknownUnknownTable 2: Elemental Compositions of Burned and Unburned Wooden StickMatches from Various Manufacturers/Countries of Origin (Case #1)UnburnedMat ch head Color Si K Cl P S Ca Al Ti Zn Mg Cr Na Fe CuTurquoiseBlueBluePurpleGreenRedRedRedCoral RedPink-RedSilverWhiteWhiteWhite???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ? **????????????? ?? ?? *??? ?? *??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ??**?????? ?????????????? ????**?????????? ?*????****?? * *** *** * * *??????????????**???????????? ???**?? *??**?? *??*********?? Elements present in unburned match heads? Elements present in burned match heads* Elements possibly present in burned match heads* Elements possibly present in unburned match heads? Elements not presentOf the 14 elements detected in one or more of the samples, Cu and Cr were the rarest, Si,K, Cl, Al, S, and Ca were the most common, P was mostly in the burned match heads,and Ti, Zn, and Mg were in about half of the samples. Fe was present in easily detectableamounts in only a few samples, and Na may be present in more samples, but its elementalpeaks may be obscured by the Zn’s peaks. The elemental results are similar to those ofAndrasko(3), and Glattstein, et.al.(4).There appeared to be no particular correlation between match head color and elementalcomposition, and most elements present before the match heads were burned weredetectable after burning.From this limited study, it appears that the presence of Cu or Cr in wooden stick matchheads could be significant for distinguishing matches from different sources. Ti, Zn, Mgand possibly Fe also appear to be relatively significant for distinguishing differentmatches. Cu, Cr, Ti, Zn, Mg and possibly Fe could be especially useful for9
Page 1 and 2: The Forensic Analysis of Wooden Sti
Page 3 and 4: Figure 2: Exemplar Waterproof Match
Page 5 and 6: Figure 6: FTIR Spectra of Thin Film
Page 7: The following tables (Tables 1A-1D)
Page 11 and 12: There were eight different ‘group

The Forensic Analysis of Wooden Stick Matches - Projects at NFSTC ...

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