Abstract
In the field of forensic science, the investigation of soil for the determination of decomposition by geophysical, biological and chemical methods, is a fast growing area. During decomposition different substances are formed as a result of breakdown and dissolution. The analysis of ninhydrin reactive nitrogen (NRN: ammonium and organic amines) is helpful in the investigation of the decomposition process, because such products may result from degradation of proteins and amino acids. During this research a new application form of the well known ninhydrin reagent was developed and applied to soil and gravesoil.
Soil samples were collected in the vicinity of a decomposing pig (Sus domesticus), after approximately 2 months. The samples were supplied by the University of Central Lancashire and transported to the laboratory on dry ice. In previously published work, NRN is extracted from soil using an aqueous extraction, whereof the liquid is used for a modified ninhydrin reaction. During this study, the samples were moisturised, and subsequently adsorbed to a filter paper. The paper was treated with ninhydrin reagent.
The soil samples taken in the direct vicinity of the cadaver, gave positive results in the form of a deep purple colour. Soil samples taken in the same area resulted in a slight purple colour change, indicating low concentrations of NRN as well.
This ninhydrin reagent application is not validated yet and may need some further development. Nevertheless, this rapid test may complement the analytical methods described in the literature and contribute, as a presumptive test, to the field of forensic taphonomic research.
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Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank Dr. T. Simmons and Mr. P. Cross of the University of Central Lancashire (Preston, UK) for providing the valuable soil samples.
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Graumans, M.H.F., van der Heijden, T.C.W., Kosinska, A., Blom, M.J., de Rooij, B.M. (2016). Filter Paper Adsorption and Ninhydrin Reagent as Presumptive Test for Gravesoil. In: Kars, H., van den Eijkel, L. (eds) Soil in Criminal and Environmental Forensics. Soil Forensics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33115-7_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33115-7_15
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