NIST SRM 2710A / 2711A
Definition
Montana Soil certified reference materials (CRMs) with certified concentrations of Pb, Sb, Ba, and many other elements. Used to calibrate and quality-control ICP-MS methods for GSR hand-swab analysis, providing traceability to national metrology standards.
- Material
- Montana Soil certified reference material
- Certified elements
- Lead, antimony, barium and many others
- Use
- Calibrating and QC-checking ICP-MS for GSR hand swabs
- Two variants
- 2710a and 2711a, at different contamination levels
Common questions
Why calibrate a gunshot residue method against a soil standard?+
The soil CRM is not tested for GSR itself. It supplies certified trace-element concentrations, including lead, antimony and barium, that let an ICP-MS method be checked against a known matrix before it is applied to swab extracts.
What is the practical difference between using SRM 2710a versus 2711a?+
SRM 2710a and 2711a are both Montana Soil materials but certified at different contamination levels, giving a lab a low and a high point to bracket its working calibration range rather than relying on a single-level standard.
Related terms
- Diazol / SINOXIDE
- A diazonium salt-based organic initiating compound used in Sintox and related lead-free primer formulations, replacing lead styphnate. Does not contribute Pb, Sb,...
- ENFSI EWG-GSR Best Practice Manual
- Published in 2016 by the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes Expert Working Group on Gunshot Residue. The primary guidance document for...
- ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry)
- A bulk elemental quantification technique that dissolves the entire hand swab or SEM stub and measures total element mass per sample. Complements...
- KED (Kinetic Energy Discrimination)
- An ICP-MS collision-reaction cell mode using helium gas to reduce polyatomic interferences on analyte masses. Used in GSR ICP-MS analysis to improve...
- Non-Toxic Ammunition (NTA)
- A broad product category encompassing any small-arms ammunition with lead-free primers and, often, lead-free projectile materials. Includes lines from Federal Premium, CCI,...
- SINTOX
- A lead-free, heavy-metal-free primer formulation developed by DAG (Deutsche Ammunitions- und Geschossfabrik) and Geco in Germany in the 1990s-2000s, replacing lead styphnate...
- Strontium Peroxide (SrO2)
- An initiating compound used in some lead-free primer formulations, particularly in Norma Sintox cartridges. Contributes Sr to the GSR particle signature. Sr...
- Zinc Peroxide (ZnO2)
- A fuel/oxidiser compound used in some lead-free primer formulations in place of antimony sulphide. Contributes Zn to the GSR particle signature; Zn...