PowerSorb® for forensic investigation of VOC traces: Application on perfume traces

This study aims to assess the potential of PowerSorb®, a crime scene easy-to-use polydimethylsiloxane-based adsorbent, for the extraction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from olfactory (scent) traces. The PowerSorb®'s capacity for VOC collection is tested through increasingly complex extraction scenarios, using three commercial perfumes. Four scenarios were considered: (1) Direct analysis of liquid perfumes; (2) extraction of VOCs from liquid perfumes using PowerSorb®; (3) extraction of VOCs from polyester fabrics impregnated with perfume using PowerSorb®; and (4) extraction after cross-transfer between fabrics treated with different perfumes using PowerSorb®. Headspace Gas Chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer (HS-GC/MS) has been used for the analysis. The results support that PowerSorb® does allow the adsorption and thermal desorption of VOCs. While measurement of uncertainties increases with the growing complexity of the transfer, PowerSorb® appears to be an efficient and easy-to-use tool for VOCs collection and the perfume's identification, when compared to more traditional sorbent phases, such as solid phase microextraction (SPME), which is hardly suitable for real-case scenarios. Olfactory traces remain challenging in cross-transfer scenarios, and further studies should be developed to assess the different perfume's dynamics (transfer, persistence, background, evaporation, and degradation).