We can compare found residues to standard explosive materials, and thereby determine what kind of explosives were used to commit a crime. A forensic chemist is a scientist who analyzes physical evidence as found on a victim or at the scene of a crime. These scientists work in the field of criminalistics and deal with analysis, comparison, identification, and interpretation of physical evidence to prove the connections to or existence of a crime. Criminalists provide information to investigators, attorneys, judges, or juries to help determine the innocence or guilt of a suspect. Use the search tool to find information about forensic chemistry.
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The ACS also sponsors Project SEED, which places disadvantaged high school students in academic, industrial, and government laboratories for eight to ten weeks during the summer. Check out the magazine Chem Matters at the library. The Forensic Handbook By Michael Kurland. Kurland takes armchair detectives step by step through the crime lab to learn how to solve the most complicated crimes on scraps of evidence. From the arrival at the scene to high-tech analyses of fingertips and DNA prints, ballistics, blood samples, and more, Kurland shows how each forensic technique is used to solve a typical murder.