Forensic Chemistry: Petroleum Products and Fire Accelerants Basics
Published:
Questions
30
Duration
30 min
Faculty-reviewed
0
Updated
24 May 2026
About this mock
This mock covers petroleum products and fire accelerants as tested in UGC-NET Forensic Science Paper II Unit VI. Questions span the physical and chemical properties of gasoline, kerosene, diesel, mineral turpentine, naphtha, paraffin wax, and butane; the ASTM E1618-19 and ASTM E1387-01 classification system for ignitable liquids; fire debris collection and extraction methods including activated charcoal strip and SPME; and the Indian legal framework governing arson and fire-related homicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
Designed for MSc and BSc forensic science students preparing for UGC-NET Paper II, NFSU MSc entrance examinations, and FACT Level 1. Every question is calibrated to the easy band, meaning distractors represent clearly different concepts rather than near-twin parameters, and target accuracy is 70 to 80 percent on a first attempt.
Topics covered:
- Gasoline: boiling range, flash point, octane rating, GC-MS pattern
- Kerosene and diesel: boiling ranges, flash points, cetane number, debris persistence
- Mineral turpentine, naphtha, paraffin wax, and butane: distinguishing properties
- ASTM E1618-19 classes: light, medium, heavy distillates, isoparaffinic, aromatic, naphthenic-paraffinic, normal alkane, oxygenated
- Fire debris collection: unlined metal cans, activated charcoal strip (ASTM E1412), SPME
- Indian context: CFSL Hyderabad, kerosene in dowry-death fires, BNS 2023 Sections 80, 100, 101, and 327
Allow 30 minutes.
Sources & references
Questions in this mock are written and verified against the following sources. Citations are recorded per question and shown in the explanation after submission.
- cited in 10 questions
DeHaan, John D. and Icove, David J. — Kirk's Fire Investigation, 7th Edition
Chapter 5: Ignitable Liquids; paraffin wax GC-MS pattern and discrimination from petroleum distillates
- cited in 7 questions
ASTM E1618-19, Standard Test Method for Ignitable Liquid Residues in Extracts from Fire Debris Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Table 1 and Appendix X1: naphthenic-paraffinic class, reference chromatogram features
- cited in 4 questions
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS 2023)
Section 101: Murder, definition and punishment; cross-reference to Sections 300 and 302 IPC 1860
Open source - cited in 3 questions
Sharma, B.R. — Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation and Trials, 5th Edition
Chapter on Arson Investigation: ignitable liquids, naphtha and lighter fluid properties
- cited in 3 questions
Saferstein, Richard — Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, 12th Edition
Chapter on Fire and Explosion Investigation: properties of ignitable liquids, octane number
- cited in 2 questions
ASTM E1388-17, Standard Practice for Sampling of Headspace Vapors from Fire Debris Samples
Section 5: Sampling strategy; protected sample locations at fire scene
- cited in 1 question
ASTM E1412-16, Standard Practice for Separation of Ignitable Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Passive Headspace Concentration with Activated Charcoal
Section 6: Procedure; passive headspace concentration, adsorption, and elution steps
How our mocks are built
Questions are written and edited by the ForensicSpot team and cited from peer-reviewed forensic textbooks, official syllabi and primary case law. Each one is verified before publishing. Detailed explanations show after you submit, so the test stays a real test. See a mistake? Tell us.
Common questions
What does the Forensic Chemistry: Petroleum Products and Fire Accelerants Basics mock cover?+
This mock covers petroleum products and fire accelerants as tested in UGC-NET Forensic Science Paper II Unit VI. Questions span the physical and chemical properties of gasoline, kerosene, diesel, mineral turpentine, naphtha, paraffin wax, and butane; the ASTM E1618-19 and ASTM E1387-01 classification system for ignitable liquids; fire debris collection and extraction methods including activated charcoal strip and SPME; and the Indian legal framework governing arson and fire-related homicide unde
How many questions and how long is the test?+
30 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes total. Difficulty: easy. Tier: Premium.
Who is this mock for?+
Forensic science students and aspirants who want timed, exam-style practice with explanations and verified source citations on Forensic Chemistry, NET. Useful for postgraduate entrance preparation and for BSc / MSc forensic students testing their recall under time.
Are the questions reviewed?+
Each question carries a verified source citation. Faculty review for individual questions is in progress.
Do I need an account to take this mock?+
Yes, a free ForensicSpot account is required to start a timed attempt — this lets you save progress, see per-question explanations after submission, and track your topic-level performance over time.