Crime Scene Investigation Essay

Introduction In any given crime scene investigation, evidence can come in the form of many things including hair, bodily fluids, limbs, and many more. All evidence shares at least one thing in common: chemicals. Therefore, the field of forensic chemistry exists – to apply chemistry and forensic toxicology techniques (study of poisons in a legal setting) for analyzing evidence in a crime scene. Forensic chemists use a wide array of laboratory techniques and instruments to analyze the evidence that is brought to them, and determine if it has any implications in a legal setting. To become a forensic chemist, all someone needs is a bachelor’s degree in either chemistry or forensic science from an accredited university. Some employers may require

One of the most popular and effective poisons used to kill people is arsenic because it is odourless and easily mixed into a person’s food or drink. To add to this, it was virtually untraceable until 1836 when a British chemist by the name of James Marsh developed the Marsh test: a test used to detect arsenic in the tissues. This was the first major contribution to the field of forensic chemistry, and not long afterwards the Marsh test was used in a trial as the first ever test to detect arsenic in a legal setting. Still in the early 19th century, the field of forensic toxicology was born from the work of another chemist by the name of Mathieu Orfila. Orfila is considered the father of forensic toxicology. He made many great contributions throughout his life, most notably his work with forensic microscopes and the detection of blood and semen. In 1851Jean Stas developed a method to detect vegetable-based poisons in body tissues. His method was later adapted to detect other molecular compounds in the body, such as caffeine, opium, and morphine. Moreover, during this period spectroscopy and chromatography were being developed and slowly applied to the world of forensics. In 1910 Edmond Locard created the first police crime laboratory. Lastly, in 1976 Hadley and Zoro begun using