As I have written before a lot of forensic science is really legitimate analytical chemistry that is re-purposed for the courtroom, but without proper scientific method validation before deploying it into this new purpose. This re-purposing of legitimate techniques and employing them without examining the true validity of doing so is not scientific. I call […]
A Gas Chromatoagraph or Liquid Chromatograph is not like a calculator
I am fond of pointing out that a Gas Chromatograph (GC) and a Liquid Chromatograph (LC) are not like a simple calculator where anyone walking up to a calculator regardless if it is a 2 year old or a PhD in mathematics who keys in 2+2, the result will always be 4, it requires interpretation […]
Mass Spectroscopy for Lawyers Part 8: A scientific war, between spectroscopists and chromatographers is co-eution a problem in hyphenated MS work?
In a series of posts, we are going to talk about Mass Spectrometry. Introduction-The different configurations and the Electron Impact process What types of mass analyzers are there? What type of detectors are there? What types of analysis can be done? How do you read the output? How do they come to a qualitative measure […]
Mass Spectroscopy for Lawyers Part 6: How do they come to a qualitative measure using software?
In a series of posts, we are going to talk about Mass Spectrometry. Introduction-The different configurations and the Electron Impact process What types of mass analyzers are there? What type of detectors are there? What types of analysis can be done? How do you read the output? How do they come to a qualitative measure […]
Mass Spectroscopy for Lawyers Part 5: How to read the output from the GC-MS
In a series of posts, we are going to talk about Mass Spectrometry. Introduction-The different configurations and the Electron Impact process What types of mass analyzers are there? What type of detectors are there? What types of analysis can be done? How do you read the output? How do they come to a qualitative measure […]
Practice good hygiene and get fired or convicted
Alcohol-based antiseptics used to kill bacteria on your hands could also potentially kill your career if you’re required to undergo regular testing for alcohol consumption, according to a new study. Even though they’re rubbed onto the skin rather than ingested, alcohol-based hand hygiene products can still cause the alcohol levels in your bloodstream to spike […]
Emerging Science: Dried Blood Spot Analysis in Toxicology
Dried Blood Spot (DBS) or Dry Plasma Spot (DPS) analysis as applied to forensic analytical chemistry (toxicology) for Drugs of Abuse testing is an emerging science that there has been some recent activity in the peer reviewed literature. This post will examine this emerging technology and evaluate the benefits and the limitations of this assay. […]
The Forensic Science of the identification of Osama bin Laden
The Forensic Science of the identification of Osama bin Laden President Barack Obama announced yesterday (5/1/2011) that Osama bin Laden had been killed. As historic and newsworthy as that event is, this post isn’t about that event. Instead, this post is about the technology and the science mostly likely used that lead to the confident […]
Why doesn’t your state crime laboratory use AMDIS?
I have written about chromatography, gas chromatography (GC) and even gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Here they are (in no particular order): GC-MS is not perfect: The case study of methamphetamine Why do I see two peaks on my EtOH analysis using HS-GC-FID? What is the difference between HS-GC-FID and GC-MS? Drugs of Abuse (DOA) […]
False Conclusions and False Convictions: Attempts of Elucidating Pharmacodynamic Effect from an Analytical Chemistry Result-How Solely an Analytical Chemistry Result in a DUID Prosecution Cannot Scientifically Support a Conclusion of Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
False Conclusions and False Convictions: Attempts of Elucidating Pharmacodynamic Effect from an Analytical Chemistry Result-How Solely an Analytical Chemistry Result in a DUID Prosecution Cannot Scientifically Support a Conclusion of Driving Under the Influence of Drugs To download this post as a finished pdf article please click on the below: False Conclusions and False Convictions- […]
Drugs of Abuse (DOA) analysis performed today in the US
Figure 1 above: Statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) details drug use across the 50 states based on the 2006 and 2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, which involved interviews with over 135,000 people around the country. (For more on the statistical breakdown of geography of non-prescription or […]
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