Forensic Chemistry

Lecture and Lab

Spring 2008

Course Number: 03-122-1 and 03-123-1

Credit hours: 3 + 1

Prerequisite: none

Instructor: Dr. Salim M. Diab

Office: 815-740-3855 (St. Francis)

Home: 815-730-8302

Fax: 815-740-4285 (St. Francis)

e-mail: sdiab@stfrancis.edu

HomePage: http://www.stfrancis.edu/ns/diab/etherman.htm

 

Course Description: 

A non- majors, survey course of procedures, techniques, and applications of forensic chemistry, particularly as they relate to crime investigation and ongoing analysis of evidence obtained after a crime is committed. The nature of physical evidence is emphasized along with the limitations that technology and knowledge impose on its individualization and characterization. In order to merge theory with practice, a number of actual forensic case histories will be evaluated. Multiple sources of instructional methods will be used including formal lectures using power point presentation, internet sources and video case studies. 

 

Rationale and Objectives: 

This course is designed to provide a basic foundation in the field of forensic chemistry for those students in the humanities, social sciences, or communication arts and those thinking of pursuing a criminal justice degree. Without having to major in chemistry, the student is allowed to experience the various analytical and instrumental methods used in investigating crimes.

 

Required  Materials
Criminalistics: Forensic Science and Crime, James Girard, Jones and Bartlett, 2008.

Lab Exercises and Training Guide – request a copy from Dr. Diab

Website Companion: http://criminalistics.jbpub.com/

 

References:

Baden, M. M.; Hennessee, J. A. Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner, Ballantine Books, New York, 1989.

Brewer, W. E.; Galipo, R. C.; Morgan, S. L.; Habben, K. H. "Confirmation of volatiles by solid-phase microextraction and GC/MS," J. Anal. Toxicol. 1997, 21(4), 286-290.

Davis, G. Forensic Science, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1986.

Dwyer, J.; Kocieniewski, D.; Murphy, D; Tyre, P. Two Seconds Under the World: Terror Comes to America (The Conspiracy behind the World Trade Center Bombing, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1994.

Evans, C. The Casebook of Forensic Detection, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1996.

Fisher, D. Hard Evidence, Bantam DoubleDay Dell Publ. Group, NY, 1995.

Gerber, S. M., Ed., Chemistry and Crime; From Sherlock Holmes to Today's Courtroom, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1984.

Ho, M. H. Analytical Methods in Forensic Chemistry, Ellis Horwood, Ltd., London, 1990.

Hunt, S. M. Investigation of Serological Evidence: A Manual for Field Investigators, Charles C. Thomas Publ. Ltd., London, 1984.

James, R. E. Laboratory Manual for Criminalistics, Prentice Hall, NY, 1980.

Lowry, W. T. Forensic Toxicology: Controlled Substances and Dangerous Drugs, Plenum Publ. Co., NY, 1979.

Maples, W. R.; Browning, M. Dead Men Do Tell Tales, Bantam DoubleDay, NY, 1994.

Saferstein, R. Forensic Science Handbook, Vol. I-III, Regents/Prentice Hall, NJ, 1993.

Tebbett, I., Ed., Gas Chromatography in Forensic Science, Ellis Horwood, Ltd., London, 1993.

Terry, I. M.; Robertson, J. C. Instrumental Data for Drug Analysis, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1991.

Wecht, C.; Curriden, M.; Wecht, B. Grave Secrets, Penguin books USA, Inc., New York, 1996.

Widmark, E. M. P. Principles and Applications of Medico-Legal Alcohol Determination, translated from original 1932 ed.,

Biomedical Publications, Davis, CA, 1981.

Yinon, J., Ed., Forensic Applications of Mass Spectrometry (Modern Mass Spectrometry), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1995.

Saferstein, R. Criminalistics:An Introduction to Forensic Science, 8th Ed., Prentice-Hall, Inc., NY, 2003.

Forensic Science, Andrew Jackson and Julie Jackson, 2004, Prentice Hall.

 

Supplementary Lecture Notes:

Brief Lecture Notes: http://www.stfrancis.edu/ns/diab/Forensic1/Lecturenotes1.html
Detailed Lecture Notes: http://www.stfrancis.edu/ns/diab/ForensicCoursePPT/lecturenotes.html

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Section I - Introduction to Criminalistics

Chapter 1- Investigating the Crime Scene

Chapter 2- Investigating and Processing Physical Evidence

Section II – Trace Evidence

Chapter 3- Physical Properties: Forensic Characterization of Soil

Chapter 4- The Microscope and Forensic Identification of Hair and Fibers

Chapter 5- Forensic Analysis of Glass

Section III – Pattern Evidence

Chapter 6- Fingerprints

Chapter 7- Questioned Documents

Chapter 8- Firearms

Section IV – Chemical Evidence

Chapter 9- Inorganic Analysis: Forensic Determination of Metals and Gunshot Residue

Chapter 10- Arson

Chapter 11- Drugs of Abuse

Section V – Biological Evidence

Chapter 12- Forensic Toxicology

Chapter 13- Biological Fluids: Blood, Semen, Saliva, and an Introduction to DNA

Chapter 14- Forensic DNA Typing

Section VI - Terrorism

Chapter 15- Explosives

Chapter 16- Detecting Weapons of Mass Destruction

Expectations of Students:

1. Attendance is required. A good attendance including the transcription of a good set of class notes will greatly improve the students' chances for achieving a satisfactory grade in this course. . Unexcused absences will lower your grade.

 

2. Homework assignments will be assigned and graded. These assignments are intended to increase the problem solving ability of the students. It is very important to work out every problem in the text. This is one of the best methods of learning the material.

 

Answer the following Review Problems from your text:

Ch1 – problem1 1 , 4

Ch2 – problems 1, 3, 5

Ch3 – problems 4, 6, 10, 11

Ch4 – problems 2, 4

Ch5 – problems 3, 4

Ch6 – problems 5, 6

Ch7 – problems 1, 14, 15

Ch8 – problems 2, 5, 6

Ch9 – problems 1, 4

Ch10 – problems 1, 3

Ch11 – problems 1, 4, 7

Ch12 – problems 1, 5

Ch13 – problems 1, 3, 5

Ch14 – problems 1, 5

 

3. Web Quizzes: Solve Spotlight questions for chapters 1-14 using the following web site, http://criminalistics.jbpub.com/ . Then e-mail them to instructor for credit.

4. Video Case Studies, will be shown in class and reviewed for credit.

5. Laboratory Experiments - All labs must be performed and reported in lab manual.

6. Academic integrity must be always preserved. Any violation will be handled according to the guidelines in the University Catalog.

7. Mid Term and Final Exam will be given

Breakdown for Grading:

LECTURE Grade

Homework Problems - 20%

WEB Quizzes - 10%

Video Case Studies - 10%

MidTerm – 30%

Final Exam - 30%

Total - 100%
 

LABORATORY INVESTIGATION

 

The following Labs will be investigated:

    1. Introduction
    2. Safety and Ethical Issues
    3. Physical evidences and Probability and Statistic
    4. Deductive Reasoning
    5. Bones Forensics
    6. Blood as Forensic Evidence
    7. Hair as Forensic Evidence
    8. Fibers as Forensic Evidence (Polymer)
    9. Glass as Forensic Evidence
    10. Fingerprints
    11. Analysis of Over-the-Counter Drugs
    12. Identification of Unknown Substance using TLC
    13. Toxicology
    14. DNA
    15. Arson – Field trip to USF (GC-MS)

Breakdown for Grading:

Laboratory Grade

Complete and Punctual Lab Reports - 20%

Accuracy of information, Quality of writing, and Coherence - 40%

Results, Data Analysis, and Conclusion - 40%

Total - 100%

 

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