Ethanol and Other Volatile Alcohols

Acceptable forensic practice recommends confirmation of the detection of an analyte (drug) by a second or definitive method. For VOCs, two acceptable GC confirmation procedures are re-sampling and re-analysis using a different column or use of mass spectrometry for absolute identification. 

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For isolated cases, the first indication of the presence of a volatile substance may be the presence of an unknown peak when a sample is analyzed for ethanol and other volatile alcohols (see the previous section). In these instances, method development focuses on the compound encountered and frequently involves modification of the ethanol analysis procedure. Numerous procedures for single VOCs or classes of VOCs have been developed and summarized in review articles. HS-GC remains the most frequently used... 

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