1.

Historical Background of Forensic Chemistry

Poisons were employed by early Egyptians and ancient Greeks and Romans. Democritus
was probably the first chemist to study poisons. Poisons were used for murder and
execution. Arsenic and Hemlock were two popular poisons of Ancient Roman times. The
Marsh test, developed in 1836, was the first reliable analysis that could show scientifically
that arsenic was present in the body of a victim. 70 to 180 mg of arsenic is enough to kill an
adult. Although arsenic targets different enzymes, like cyanide, it interferes with energy-
related processes of cell mitochondria. Arsenic has long been used as a poison, but
historically people could not prove its presence in a corpse. Wikipedia contributors. (2023).
Forensic chemistry. Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_chemistry

2. Men Behind Forensic Chemistry

1813 Mathiew Orfila, a Spaniard who became professor of medicinal/forensic chemistry at

University of Paris, published Traite des Poisons Tires des Regnes Mineral, Vegetal et
Animal, ou Toxicologie General l. Orfila is considered the father of modern toxicology. He
also made significant contributions to the development of tests for the presence of blood in a
forensic context and is credited as the first to attempt the use of a microscope in the
assessment of blood and semen stains.
1836 James Marsh, an Scottish chemist, was the first to use toxicology (arsenic detection)
in a jury trial.1851 Jean Servais Stas, a chemistry professor from Brussels, Belgium, was the
first to successfully identify vegetable poisons in the body.
1910 Edmund Locard, professor of forensic medicine at the University of Lyons, France,
established the first police crime laboratory.
1960 Lucas, in Canada, described the application of gas chromatography to the
identification of petroleum products in the forensic laboratory and discussed potential
limitations in the brand identity of gasoline.
1976 Zoro and Hadley in the United Kingdom first evaluated chromatograph-mass
spectrometry for forensic purposes. Bryant. (2023). Forensic Chemistry.
https://forensicchemistrykrystalbryant.weebly.com/history.html

3. Practice of Forensic Chemistry

Non-biological trace evidence obtained at crime scenes is analyzed by forensic chemists in

attempt to identify unknown compounds and match samples to recognized substances. They
also test drugs/controlled substances recovered from crime scenes and individuals in order
to identify and, in some cases, quantify these materials. ExploreHealthCareers.org. (2017,
July 14).Forensicchemist|Explorehealthcareers.org.https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/
forensic-science/forensic-chemist/

Forensic chemists analyze physical evidence and samples for clues to solve crimes.
Versatility and patience are key qualities for this job. Forensic chemists spend hours
rigorously applying analytical techniques to evidence and meticulously documenting each
step. Evans-Nguyen, K. (2021). Forensic chemistry. American Chemical Society.
 4. Duties and Responsibilities of Forensic Chemist

Forensic chemists are scientists who use chemistry and other scientific disciplines to help
solve crimes. They may analyze blood, hair, fibers, soil, or other substances found at a crime
scene in order to determine if they contain any clues about what happened there.

Forensic chemists commonly work with police officers and detectives to provide them with
information that can be used as evidence in court. This might include anything from DNA
analysis results to chemical composition analyses of physical evidence found at the scene of
a crime. Career Insights. (2023). What does a forensic chemist do? CLIMB.
https://climbtheladder.com/forensic-chemist/

Forensic chemists have a wide range of responsibilities, which can include:

 Performing research in order to develop new methods for testing drugs or other
substances
 Collecting samples from crime scenes and analyzing them to determine their
chemical composition
 Conducting examinations of physical evidence such as DNA samples, fibers, hair
samples, or blood samples for use in court cases

 Reviewing existing scientific literature on topics relevant to their work

 Reviewing laboratory testing procedures and making recommendations for

improvements
 Collecting samples for toxicology testing, which involves analyzing blood samples for
alcohol content or screening urine samples for drugs such as cocaine or marijuana
 Examining evidence to determine whether it has been contaminated or altered in any
way
 Obtaining samples from crime scenes using specialized equipment such as swabs or
vials
 Testing samples using chromatography, spectrometry, or other laboratory equipment
to identify compounds and their concentrations

5. Six Golden Rules in the Practice of Forensic Chemistry

The six golden rules in the practice of forensic chemistryare;

1) Go slowly
2) Be thorough
3) Take notes
4) Consult others
5) Use imagination
6) Avoid complicated theories
1. Go slowly : good work cannot be hurried, thereforetake all the time necessary to make
the case complete,nomatter how urgent it may appear or how pressingothersmay be for the
result ; it is generally possible to adjournacase if the work cannot be finished in time.

2. Be thorough : make a careful and minute examina-tion of everything and do not be

satisfied with aqualitativeanalysis if a quantitative one be possible ; it always paysto do too
much rather than too little and it is difficult toforesee what will or will not be required in Court.

3. Take notes : keep a full, neat and clear record ofeverything seen and done.

4. Consult others : many cases will lead the expertinto paths with which he is not familiar,
and when thishappens he should consult those who are most likely toknow.Unless an expert
knows his subject thoroughly, orunlesshe consults others, he may go seriously astray ; thus
adoctor,who found salt in an Egyptian mummy, reported it to bethat of a person who had
been drowned in salt water,appar-ently quite in ignorance of the very readily
ascertainedfactthat crude natron, which contains a large percentage ofsalt,and at a later
date, salt itself were commonly used inancientEgypt in connection with the preservation of
the body.The chemist too who thought that the ancient Egyptiansused quicklime as a body
preservative, because hefounda small amount of carbonate of lime in a mummy,
wasevidently unaware of the extent to which limestone andlimestone dust occur in Egypt
and that burial in tombscut in the limestone rock was very common. Anotherexpert,who had
not made himself familiar with the methods ofusing liquid fuel under a boiler, but who had
evidentlyheardof the use of compressed air in that connection, thoughtthat compressed air
was forced into the oil in the feedtank.

5. Use imagination : this is somewhat hazardous advice,since an exj)ert with a vivid and
uncontrolledimaginationis a most dangerous person ; a disciplined imagination,how-ever,
which enables inferences and deductions (to beverifiedor discarded at a later stage) to be
made from slenderandincomplete premises is often very useful. In writing thereport the
imagination must be kept well in hand andtheexpert should remember that what to him may
bemerelya helpful working hypothesis is liable to be taken byothersfor more than its true
worth and to be adopted by themasa final explanation.

6. Avoid complicated theories : the simplest explana-tion is the most likely to be the right
one.III. Communication of the Results. The results of thework carried out will generally be
communicated in theform of a written report, which may be sujjplementedata later date by
oral evidence. Both the written reportandthe oral evidence therefore will be considered.The
written report should commence with anenumerationof the articles received for examination,
the date ofreceiptand from whom received and should state how theywerepacked and
whether they were securely fastened or notandwhether sealed, and if so a description of the
sealsshould beadded. A brief but sufficient record of all the significantfacts noted during the
examination of the article shouldthen be given, followed by a summary of
theconclusionsdrawn from the observed facts and from these alone,theconclusions,
however, being kept quite distinct from thefacts and the whole being expressed in plain and
non-technical language. The conclusions arrived at should begiven very definitely and
without ambiguity, vague andinconclusive opinions being useless.
References

1.)Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Forensic chemistry. Wikipedia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_chemistry

2.)Bryant.(2023).ForensicChemistry.https://forensicchemistrykrystalbryant.weebly.com/
history.html

3.)ExploreHealthCareers.org.(2017,July14).Forensicchemist|
Explorehealthcareers.org.https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/forensic-science/forensic-
chemist/

4.)Evans-Nguyen, K. (2021). Forensic chemistry. American Chemical Society.

5.)The six golden rules in the practice of forensic chemistry are. (n.d.). Scribd.
https://www.scribd.com/document/369694969/The-Six-Golden-Rules-in-the-Practice-of-
Forensic-Chemistry-Are
FORENSIC CHEMISTRY AND TOXICOLOGY
(FORENSIC 102)

ASSIGNMENT

DARLO, MARK RANIEL R.

BS-CRIMINOLOGY 3B

August 25, 2023