| Part one of this dissertation concerns the analysis of insect pheromones and cuticular hydrocarbons using capillary gas chromatography. The inhibitory pheromone of the imported red fire and Solenopsis invicta is of great interest due to its control over the reproductivity of the colony. The small amounts of active material present makes the isolation of the pheromone difficult. Gas chromatography combined with a prechromatographic separation using a solid phase extraction is discussed as an approach to isolating the pheromone.; Cuticular hydrocarbons have a number of functions including protection of insects from dessication, from microorganisms, and from agricultural chemicals. Studies here include (i) investigation of the effect of irradiation on the cuticular hydrocarbons of the granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius, (ii) investigations of the effect of diapuase on the cuticular hydrocarbons of the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassilpalpis, and (iii) investigations of the cuticular hydrocarbons of an African subspecies of honeybee, Apis mellifera capensis.; Part two concerns the analysis of fire debris for the presence of an accelerant using gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A dynamic headspace method using a charcoal microfilter was used to sample the volatiles present in the debris. Studies involved (i) optimization of sampling parameters, (ii) investigation into the contributions of the pyrolysis products of common building materials, (iii) investigations on the recovery of a model accelerant, kerosene, from fire debris, and (iv) studies on the effects of resolution on the identification of accelerant in fire debris. Results of these studies indicate the method used is an extremely sensitive and selective method for the analysis of fire debris for the presence of accelerants. |
