Forensic Applications of Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Chromatography

Abstract

The gas-like mass transfer properties and liquid-like solvation characteristics of supercritical fluid make it a promising medium in performing extractory and chromatographic separations, i.e., supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), respectively. The tunable solvation properties of supercritical carbon dioxide not only improve SFE's efficiency and speed, but also enable SFC to solve niche problems inadequately treated with gas chromatography or high performance liquid chromatography. It is the environmental friendliness of the fluid that accelerates the extensive use of the two methods in forensic science. This review briefly introduces the basic properties of supercritical fluid and how the SFE and SFC instrumentations work in chemical analysis. The applications include the extraction and separation of drugs of abuse, fire debris, and explosives. The invaluable functions of SFE and SFC in forensic investigation are demonstrated.