Forensic Chemistry Is The Application of
Forensic Chemistry Is The Application of
setting. A forensic chemist can assist in the identification of unknown materials found at a crime
scene.[1] Specialists in this field have a wide array of methods and instruments to help identify
unknown substances. These include high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-
mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
and thin layer chromatography. The range of different methods is important due to the destructive
nature of some instruments and the number of possible unknown substances that can be found at a
scene. Forensic chemists prefer using nondestructive methods first, to preserve evidence and to
determine which destructive methods will produce the best results.
Along with other forensic specialists, forensic chemists commonly testify in court as expert
witnesses regarding their findings. Forensic chemists follow a set of standards that have been
proposed by various agencies and governing bodies, including the Scientific Working Group on the
Analysis of Seized Drugs. In addition to the standard operating proceduresproposed by the group,
specific agencies have their own standards regarding the quality assurance and quality control of
their results and their instruments. To ensure the accuracy of what they are reporting, forensic
chemists routinely check and verify that their instruments are working correctly and are still able to
detect and measure various quantities of different substances.