The Week 52 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced!

The Forensic Science Geek of the Week

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The week 52 “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: Ronald Moore, Esquire.

: Ronald Moore, B.S., JD

About our winner according to his website:

Mr. Moore received a BS in Biology from U.C. Riverside in 1988, a JD from Western State University College of Law in 2003, and an AS in Culinary Arts from Saddleback College in 2009.

Ron worked as a Forensic Scientist at the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Forensic Science Services Laboratory from 1989 to 2007. During his tenure at the OC Crime Lab, he worked in Toxicology, Blood and Breath Alcohol, Drug Analysis, Firearm and Toolmark Examination, and Crime Scene Investigation. He completed his time at the lab with18 months supervising the Blood and Breath Alcohol sections. He is very familiar with the Intoxilyzer 5000, Datamaster, and Alco-Sensor IV breath testing instruments used during the years he was with the lab. Mr. Moore testified for both the prosecution and defense in over 450 DUI cases, and in many major crime cases. He assisted in the investigation of approximately 50 homicides and 25 officer involved shootings, attending and collecting evidence at over 100 autopsies.

Mr. Moore left the OC Crime Lab to enter private practice as an attorney and forensic scientist, practicing 3 years in Orange County and 6 months in Northern California. Mr. Moore now returns to the Orange County area and is affiliated with the Law Offices of Virginia L. Landry, Inc.

Congratulations to our Forensic Science Geek of the Week winner!

See the challenge question that our winner correctly answered.

OFFICIAL QUESTION:

Forensic Science Geek of the Week Challenge

1. What is this instrument?

2. What is it used for?

3. What is it based upon?

Our Geek of the Week answered:

CD-2095 can easily be interfaced with JASCO HPLC systems using HSS-2000 HPLC System software Windows 2000. An optical rotation detector (ORD) such as the JASCO OR-2090, measures an angle of rotation when linearly polarized light passes through a flow cell containing optically active compounds. This technique is based upon the difference in the refractive indices of right- and left-handed circularly polarized light. Multiple reflections and other effects in the detector flow cell cause depolarisation. This results in the reduction of system sensitivity. A CD detector differentiates between enantiomers by measuring difference in absorbance between right- and left-handed circularly polarized light. The measurement of absorption difference takes 20 microseconds and is virtually dual beam detection whereas optical rotation is a single beam technique. This mode of detection gives greater stability and high sensitivity and is fully compatible with gradient elution techniques.”

[BLOGGER’S NOTE: Great answer. It is a chiral detector. As we have posted before, in GC-MS we lose the ability to be specific when it comes to certain chiral compounds. This ability to discriminate can matter when it comes to pharmacology and in terms of toxicology. To determine chiral compounds time consuming preparative chromatography or specially designed chiral compounds would have to be used unless this type of chiral detector is used.]

The Hall of Fame for the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week:
Week 1: Chuck Ramsay, Esquire

Week 2: Rick McIndoe, PhD

Week 3: Christine Funk, Esquire

Week 4: Stephen Daniels

Week 5: Stephen Daniels

Week 6: Richard Middlebrook, Esquire

Week 7: Christine Funk, Esquire

Week 8: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.

Week 9: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.

Week 10: Kelly Case, Esquire and Michael Dye, Esquire

Week 11: Brian Manchester, Esquire

Week 12: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.