Presumptive chemical tests

Microchemical tests are widely used by forensic scientists as screening tests to assist in the ultimate identification of substances in a wide range of evidence types including drugs, explosive residues, and biological material. Typically, microchemical tests are carried out by mixing a small amount...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Levine, B., Lewis, Simon
Other Authors: Jay A Siegel
Format: Book Chapter
Published: Academic Press 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5601
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author Levine, B.
Lewis, Simon
author2 Jay A Siegel
author_facet Jay A Siegel
Levine, B.
Lewis, Simon
author_sort Levine, B.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Microchemical tests are widely used by forensic scientists as screening tests to assist in the ultimate identification of substances in a wide range of evidence types including drugs, explosive residues, and biological material. Typically, microchemical tests are carried out by mixing a small amount of the test material with a reagent solution to produce a color change or the formation of characteristic microcrystals. These tests are performed either directly on, or after minimal clean-up of, the submitted material. No sophisticated equipment is required for the tests involving color changes as the endpoint of the color test is observed visually, whereas the results of microcrystalline tests will require observation with a microscope. These microchemical tests are only presumptive and any result must be confirmed by an alternative analytical technique, typically chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. This article provides an overview of presumptive tests, with the exception of those used for serology, and their application to chemical forensic analysis.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-56012023-02-07T08:01:23Z Presumptive chemical tests Levine, B. Lewis, Simon Jay A Siegel Pekka J Saukko explosives illicit drugs microcrystalline tests postblast residue color tests Microchemical tests are widely used by forensic scientists as screening tests to assist in the ultimate identification of substances in a wide range of evidence types including drugs, explosive residues, and biological material. Typically, microchemical tests are carried out by mixing a small amount of the test material with a reagent solution to produce a color change or the formation of characteristic microcrystals. These tests are performed either directly on, or after minimal clean-up of, the submitted material. No sophisticated equipment is required for the tests involving color changes as the endpoint of the color test is observed visually, whereas the results of microcrystalline tests will require observation with a microscope. These microchemical tests are only presumptive and any result must be confirmed by an alternative analytical technique, typically chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. This article provides an overview of presumptive tests, with the exception of those used for serology, and their application to chemical forensic analysis. 2013 Book Chapter http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5601 10.1016/B978-0-12-382165-2.00253-1 Academic Press restricted
spellingShingle explosives
illicit drugs
microcrystalline tests
postblast residue
color tests
Levine, B.
Lewis, Simon
Presumptive chemical tests
title Presumptive chemical tests
title_full Presumptive chemical tests
title_fullStr Presumptive chemical tests
title_full_unstemmed Presumptive chemical tests
title_short Presumptive chemical tests
title_sort presumptive chemical tests
topic explosives
illicit drugs
microcrystalline tests
postblast residue
color tests
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5601