The Importance Of Chemistry In Forensics

In forensics, there is a lot of chemistry involved. The various processes that a forensic procedure requires includes basic skills and knowledge from chemistry. Since chemistry and forensics are so closely related, many of the same concepts are used in each field. That is why it is important to go into more detail to see what type of chemistry has to deal with this. It is very rare that there is a forensics specialist investigating a crime scene without there being any type of chemistry involved. Chemistry is to forensics as oxygen is to people; meaning it is required to function properly. Many aspects and elements of chemistry can be found all throughout forensics.
Forensic science is the application of science and its properties in order …show more content…
This is why it is crucial to preserve the evidence at the state that it is found in. Most of the time, items are preserved in a special container in order to keep it from going through the process of a chemical change.it is important to understand their chemical properties in order to put it in the correct container that is appropiate. This means that the temperature, pressure, and concentration must remain consistent throughout time. However, a chemical change is sometimes required in order to understand the substance better. For example, some chemicals may need to be introduced to fingerprints which may not be visible to the eye. When chemicals are added to it, it may aid in making it more visible for the technicians(Johll, …show more content…
In chemistry, we use pH to contrast and compare the acidities of different solutions, and when we do this we can determine the solution to be either acid, neutral, alkaline, or basic.The reason why solutions are different, as in being acid, basic, neutral, or alkaline, is due to the hydrogen ions activity in the solution. (Senese, 2010) One example of trace evidence that forensic chemist use pH to test is soil. This is because soils have different pH levels, and when they can get a soil sample they can test its pH. Testing soil can be done by performing a pH test, and a pH test consist of putting a small amount of soil in distilled water then dropping some on litmus paper. Once the drop is on the litmus paper you can then observe the color the paper changes to. The pH will range between one and fourteen with seven being neutral, closer to one being acidic, and closer to fourteen being basic. This test is one that is simple, yet it can help to determine the fault of a