Confirmed Speaker
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Prof. Francesco S. Romolo
Explosives and mass spectrometric chemical analysis
Francesco Saverio Romolo
Laboratorio di Balistica, Esplosivistica e Sicureza, Sezione di Medicina Legale, Dipartimento SAIMLAL, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Italy Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy. Email: francescosaverio.romolo@uniroma1.it
Explosives are chemical substances playing a very important role in many activities such as mining or engineering. Some explosive compounds have other uses such as in medicine (nitrate esters), in agriculture (ammonium nitrate), or in the plastic and paint industry (nitrocellulose), but the word explosive is commonly associated with serious criminal activities. For this reason there is a lot of research about explosives in forensic science. Mass spectrometry is an important tool to obtain analytical information about both bulk and traces explosives. Trace analysis of explosives is very important in bombing-scene investigations to provide valuable information to the investigators at a time when it is most needed and to collect material that is most likely to produce evidence. Trace analysis of explosives is also very important during the examination of places where explosive charges were prepared or vehicles used to transport an improvised explosive device (IED). In both situations mass spectrometry can provide fast and sensitive detection of explosives. Other interesting subjects related to explosives are the analysis of organic gunshot residue and the estimation of the time since discharge of spent cartridges. Analytical information provided by mass spectrometry supported very important criminal investigations worldwide, but without the proper forensic approach, no analytical tool can properly support the security of citizens and the administration of justice[1].
References
[1] F.S. Romolo, G.G. Vadalà, New tecnologies and police activities: security and forensic issues. Energia, Ambiente e Innovazione 17, 22 (2014) (DOI: 10.12910/EAI2014-86). http://www.enea.it/it/produzione-scientifica/pdf-eai/speciale-enea-technologies-for-security/new-technologies.pdf, last access on 15th September 2016
Francesco Saverio ROMOLO PhD is a Qualified Associated Professor, who has served as Head of the Gunshot Residue Analysis Laboratory and Deputy Head of the Explosives Analysis Laboratory of the Forensic Science Service in the Italian National Police, before being appointed by La Sapienza of Rome and the University of Lausanne as member of the School of Criminal Justice.
He co-chairs the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects about Nuclear Techniques in Forensic Sciences.
He is member of the editorial board of Forensic Chemistry and regularly publishes in forensic science.
He contributes to international funded projects as principal investigator.
Forensic Mass Spectrometry
The aims of Forensic Mass Spectrometry Verona 2016, are to exchange scientific and technical information and to promote research, improve practice, and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among the different areas of forensic science (forensic pathology, toxicology, genetics, criminalistics etc) based on the most advanced analytical technology.​