FORS07010 2019 Forensic Chemistry 2

Outline the analytical techniques for presumptive and confirmatory testing of a range of range of organic materials of forensic importance including drugs, alcohol, carbon monoxide, accelerants and explosives.

Illustrate the range of presumptive and confirmatory methods used for the location, recovery, presumptive and confirmatory testing of commonly encountered biological material of forensic important including blood, semen and saliva.

Apply literature search techniques to an assigned  topic and practice oral and presentational skills to present technical information in a manner understandable in a court of law.

Evaluate and interpret data from examination and/or analytical equipment and apply to a range of forensic examinations in the biological and organic chemistry areas while demonstrating safe working practices and team skills.

Write robust, balanced, impartial, logical and transparent reports which are unbiased, comprehensive and comprehensible to the intended recipients.

This module will be delivered full time.  It will include lectures, laboratory practicals and guest speakers augmented by independent learning and self directed learning.  This approach is expected to meet student learning needs.  Laboratory practicals will be scheduled for 8 x 3 hour sessions in a science laboratory.  Moodle will be a repository of education resources and as a means of assessment for uploading assignments.  Team work is required in the laboratory.

The student must meet an assigned gate (mark) in the final exam and achieve 40% overall to pass the subject.

This module is 50% continuous assessment and 50% final exam.

Laboratory skills, ability to work in a team and report writing ability are assessed as part of the practical work (40%) performed during the module.  The continuous assessment (10%) will involve the preparation of a piece of research around an assigned topic in the form of a poster.

Repeat continuous assessment and/or final exam

Drugs: Drug Dependence; Legislation, Classification of drugs. Source, structure, effect and presentation of drugs of some selected drugs of abuse e.g. cannabis, diamorphine, cocaine, amphetamine derivatives, XTC.  Arbitrary and statistical (hypergeometric) drug sampling.  Analysis methods including presumptive and confirmatory testing.e.g. GC-MS and HPLC-MS.
Toxicology:  Toxicology of Alcohol; Analysis of alcohol by breathalyzers and GC headspace.  Carbon Monoxide poisoning and analysis. Case Studies.

Arson and Explosives: Fire triangle, fire investigation, flammable residues and their analysis, laundered diesel.  Explosives, Ballistics and explosion.  Spot tests and instrumental methods of analysis e.g GC-FID, Xray Fluorescence, IC.  Sampling and investigation of fire and explosion crime scene.  Choice of suitable control samples. Case Studies.

Clothing damage

Biological: Presumptive and confirmatory tests for blood, serum, urine, saliva. Persistence data for Biological fluids and consideration in case assessment. Blood pattern analysis. 

Practical syllabus to cover some of the above topics.  Build awareness of the importance of the crime scene to court chain and the investigative circumstance and case specific evidential requirements. Demonstrate competence in the location and recovery of trace evidence from case materials including the taking of control and reference sample such as buccal samples.