Forensic Chemistry: The Basics

Forensic chemistry is the branch of chemistry popularized by law enforcement shows such as CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). The initial impression one gets from a forensic chemist is a person donning laboratory gown with goggles, with a critical, stern eye, poring over laboratory specimen for a sustained amount of time, with the hope that clues derived from these specimen will help solve a crime or settle a legal dispute.

Forensic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that deals with precisely law enforcement. Various techniques are used to determine the chemical changes that took place during an event, and these chemical changes are used as a basis for accurately reconstructing the events that took place. There are also techniques in forensics  whose purpose is to find out the composition of materials that may help in finding out its source and in successfully matching one sample with another sample. These techniques are often used to find out connections between evidence found in the crime scene and trace evidence found on the people accused of crimes. The strength of a prosecution often lies on its ability to apply forensic science.

 Forensic chemistry encompasses plenty of allied fields in chemistry and law enforcement, like arson investigation, serology, toxicology, and analysis. Laboratory processes applied in forensic science include different spectrophotometry methods, different chromatography methods, and neutron activation analysis. The processes to be applied depend on the substances to be examined. A major obstacle that forensic chemists encounter is that the substances they analyze are not pure substances, but mixtures of different substances, and often the purity of a specimen could be disputed by the defence. Works of forensic chemists must consider both standards in science and standards in law.

Forensic science aims to research samples, but not only for the sake for producing knowledge, but also for the ostensible sake of resolving legal cases efficiently. Because of that, it is important for forensic chemists not only to be skilled in making conclusions regarding examined samples; they must also be ready to defend their conclusions in the courtroom. Therefore, forensic chemists should have not only strong analytical skills, but ability to apply plenty of methods patiently in their analysis, ability to speak in public in a high-pressure courtroom setting, and ability to answer objections to one’s testimony.

 Forensic chemists usually work in investigation laboratories or in the medical examiner’s office. There are other possible careers, though, for them, like in administration, academe, or forensic science. For instance, when a forensic chemist becomes a director of a crime laboratory, he or she will manage other forensic chemists within his or her watch, instead of performing daily routine analysis. Forensic chemistry is projected to grow, now that DNA analysis, a substantial field of forensic science, is gathering much interest.