FORS3008 Forensic Chemistry - Flinders University

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Overview

This topic deals with advanced aspects of examination and analysis of chemical traces and materials. Subjects covered will include examination of common organic and inorganic traces (soil, textile fibres (including animal hairs), paint, gunshot residues, explosives and explosives residues, glass and mineral particles, ignitable liquid residues, and nuclear materials), modern … For more content click the Read More button below.

This topic deals with advanced aspects of examination and analysis of chemical traces and materials. Subjects covered will include examination of common organic and inorganic traces (soil, textile fibres (including animal hairs), paint, gunshot residues, explosives and explosives residues, glass and mineral particles, ignitable liquid residues, and nuclear materials), modern data treatment techniques, provenancing techniques, and techniques for numerical evaluation of evidence.

Topic availabilities

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Tuition pattern

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Aims

This topic aims to introduce students to the composition and analysis of various materials that are commonly encountered in forensic, cultural heritage and analytical chemistry fields, modern approaches for treatment of chemical data sets, and the numerical evaluation of chemical evidence in a logically correct framework.

Specifically, this topic aims to develop students who are able to:

Understand the appropriate equipment and methods to be used for the analysis of a wide variety of chemical trace materials
Prepare written and oral reports
Analyse and characterise chemical trace materials
Develop logically-correct numerical evaluations of analytical findings

Learning outcomes

On completion of this topic you will be expected to be able to:

Analyse and discuss the composition of materials that are commonly encountered as chemical traces in analytical and forensic laboratories

Determine the appropriate sampling, handling and analytical processes for analysing chemical traces and discuss the role and limitations of chemical trace analysis

Apply the methods used for the analysis of forensic samples such as glass, paint, hair/fibres, paper/ink, flammable liquids, explosives residues, minerals/soil and foods, and the extension of these methods for the analysis of cultural/archaeological artefacts and human specimens

Analyse chemical data sets

Apply logically-correct, numerical evidence evaluation frameworks to the analysis of chemical trace evidence

Prepare written and oral reports in a forensic context

Assessments

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Requisites information

Pre-requisites:

Anti-requisites:

Handbook

Forensic Chemistry

FORS3008