FIS 40100
Forensic Chemistry I
Dr. John Goodpaster
Assistant Professor-Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program
jvgoodpa@iupui.edu
Office: LD 326 H
Phone: 274-6881
Prerequisites: FIS 20600. Chemistry C310, C311, C342, C344, C410, C411; FIS majors only
Textbook (REQUIRED): Bell, Suzanne. Forensic Chemistry. Indianapolis: Pearson, 2013.
Safety: You will need safety glasses.
Course Description
This course will cover the major techniques and instruments used in the analysis of
chemical and pattern evidence commonly encountered at crime scenes. The techniques of
gas chromatography, thin layer chromatography, and UV-visible, infrared and Raman
spectroscopy will be studied and used extensively. There will be lecture and lab
components for each type of instrumental analysis covered in the course.
Principles of Undergraduate Learning covered within the course
Integration & Application of Knowledge - Meet professional standards and
competencies; enhance their personal lives
Intellectual Depth, Breadth, & Adaptiveness - Intellectual depth describes the
demonstration of substantial knowledge & understanding of at least one field of study;
Intellectual breadth is demonstrated by the ability to compare & contrast approaches to
knowledge in different disciplines
Critical Thinking - Analyze complex issues & make informed decisions
Course Content and Goals
Module 1 will include 3 units. The overall goal of this module is to have a general
understanding of commonly used lab procedures and statistics.
Module 1: Unit 1 – General Forensic Laboratory Procedures
 Demonstrate good laboratory practices used in a forensic science laboratory
 Identify important techniques for the collection and preserving of evidence
 Dramatize and apply labeling and collection of different types of evidence
1
Forensic Chemistry I
Syllabus
J. Goodpaster
Module 1: Unit 2 – Statistics
 Classify the use of statistics in forensic chemistry
 Select the correct statistical technique for different types of evidence and data
 Apply statistics in forensic data
Module 1: Unit 3 – Sample Preparation
 Express how sample preparation is applied in forensic chemistry
 Generalize different types of sampling procedures for evidence
 Identify what preparation needs to be done for particular types of evidence
 Complete presumptive tests done in forensic science
Module 2 will include 3 units. The overall goal of this module is to understand different
types of commonly used instrumental techniques in forensic chemistry and to apply the
techniques to evidence.
Module 2: Unit 1 – Spectroscopy
 Classify different types of spectroscopy and their application to forensic evidence
 Illustrate the parts of a spectrophotometer and their application
 Produce data using spectrophotometers (e.g., FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR, Raman, and
Fluorescence) on forensic evidence
 Compare and interpret different results from different instrumentation
Module 2: Unit 2 – Chromatography
 Classify different types of chromatography and their application to forensic
evidence
 Illustrate the parts of a chromatograph and their application
 Produce data using chromatographic systems (e.g., GC, HPLC, and TLC) on forensic
evidence
 Compare and interpret different results from different instrumentation
Module 2: Unit 3 – Mass Spectrometry
 Classify different types of mass spectrometry and their application to forensic
evidence
 Illustrate the parts of a mass spectrometer and their application
 Produce data using mass spectrometers (e.g., GC/MS and LC/MS) on forensic
evidence
 Compare and interpret different types of forensic evidence results from
instrumentation
Module 3 will contain one unit. The overall goal of this module is to become familiar with
instrumental techniques that use microscopy for examination. This module will cover
Phase Contrast microscope, FTIR, UV-Vis, and Raman microscopy.
Module 3: Unit 1 – Instrumental Microscopy
 Explain general spectroscopy techniques that are applied with microscopy
Forensic Chemistry I
Syllabus
J. Goodpaster



Prepare samples for instrumental microscopy
Differentiate when instrumental techniques are used and needed
Identify fibers, paints, glass and inks using instrumental microscopy
Class Procedures
1. Attendance and Class Participation: You are expected to be in every class and lab
meeting. If you are unable to attend please talk to the instructor as soon as possible.
2. Lecture Material and Reading Assignments: You are responsible to review the
section material including lecture material and reading assignments. Some power
points will be available for review. You will not be graded on completing this
material; however, you will need to learn the information and will be tested on the
material. Most of this information will be kept in the Resource tool of OnCourse.
3. Exams: There will be three exams (all worth 100 points) which will cover material
that has been discussed since the prior exam. Exams will be short answer and may
contain multiple choice, matching, or fill in the blank questions. There will be more
discussion about exams as the semester goes on. There will be no makeup exams,
please see me if there is an issue with the scheduling. There will also be a final exam
worth 200 points covering all the material from the semester as well as the
techniques used throughout the semester in lab exercises.
4. Laboratory Grade: This is an important part of the course. Almost one half of your
overall grade will come from laboratory work. Included in this are pre-lab
exercises, laboratory reports, lab notebook pages, and unknown results.
5. Laboratory Coursework: Pre-lab exercises are due before the start of each lab exercise.
Each exercise is worth 10 points and is to be turned into your TA at the beginning of the
lab period. Late pre-labs will not be accepted. Laboratory reports and notebook pages
are worth a total of 50 points and are due by 5:00 PM one week after completing the lab
exercise. Please see the schedule in the lab manual. These are to be turned in to your
course supervisor or TA along with copies of your lab notebook pages for that exercise.
The late penalty is 3 points per day late. This includes the total grade on report and
notebook pages. Unknown results should also be turned in with your report. Late
unknown results will result in 1 point per day late. Weekends do not count towards
this late penalty. Reports will have a cover sheet to be turned in with each report.
These include a break-down of points for the report and unknown result. These cover
sheets can be found on OnCourse.
6. Communication: Announcements will be made on OnCourse if there are any
changes in course content. To contact me with questions, concerns, or comments
please email me directly. I will not use the messaging tool on OnCourse. I will
respond to your email within 24 hours, with an exception to email sent Friday
evening through Sunday, in which case I will respond to your email on Monday.
Forensic Chemistry I
Syllabus
J. Goodpaster
7. Course Material: In order to read the various documents about this course, you
must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. It is a free download from
the Adobe website. I will also use the 2010 version of Windows. You can either
download a patch for Windows 2003 or upgrade to the new version from UTIS
website, which I recommend. You will need this to access word documents and
power point slides that I post under resources.
8. Internet: YOU MUST HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET USING A BROWSER. All of
the course materials including the answers to exams, assignments, news and
announcements, last minute changes outlines of my lectures will be kept in an
OnCourse CL file for this class. In order to read the various documents about this
course, you must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. It is a free
download from the Adobe website.
Grading
Points
3 Exams at 100 points
Final Exam
7 Pre-lab exercises at 10 points
7 Lab Reports at 50 points
4 Unknown Results at 10 points
Total
300
200
70
350
40
960
Grading Scale
Your grade will be based on a strict grading scale as outlined below. There will be no
curving of final grades.
A: 100 – 93%
C: 76.9 – 73%
A-: 92.9 – 90%
C-: 72.9 – 70%
B+: 89.9 – 87%
D+: 69.9 – 67%
B: 86.9 – 83%
D: 66.9 – 63%
B-: 82.9 – 80%
D-: 62.9 – 60%
C+: 79.9 – 77%
F: less than 60%
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Academic Misconduct
(Taken from Academic Handbook, 2001and the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct)
http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/acadhbk/acad_handbk_2001.pdf
http://www.life.iupui.edu/Who/Dean/Code
The Academic Handbook states that faculty members have the responsibility of fostering the “intellectual
honesty as well as the intellectual development of students....The faculty member should explain clearly the
meaning of cheating and plagiarism as they apply to the course....Should the faculty member detect signs of
plagiarism or cheating, it is his or her most serious obligation to investigate these thoroughly, to take
appropriate action with respect to the grades of students, and in any event to report the matter to the Dean of
Students. The necessity to report every case of cheating, whether or not further action is desirable, arises
particularly because of the possibility that this is not the student’s first offense, or that other offenses may follow
it. Equity also demands that a uniform reporting practice be enforced; otherwise, some students will be penalized
while others guilty of the same actions will go free.” (p. 172).
Academic Misconduct: (from the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct)
1. Cheating: A student must not use or attempt to use unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or study
aids in any academic exercise, including, but not limited to, the following:
a. A student must not use external assistance on any "in-class" or "take-home" examination, unless the instructor
specifically has authorized external assistance. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, the use of tutors,
books, notes, and calculators.
b. A student must not use another person as a substitute in the taking of an examination or quiz.
c. A student must not steal examinations or other course materials.
d. A student must not allow others to conduct research or to prepare work for him or her without advance
authorization from the instructor to whom the work is being submitted. Under this prohibition, a student must
not make any unauthorized use of materials obtained from commercial term paper companies or from files of
papers prepared by other persons.
e. A student must not collaborate with other persons on a particular project and submit a copy of a written
report which is represented explicitly or implicitly as the student's individual work.
f. A student must not use any unauthorized assistance in a laboratory, at a computer terminal, or on field work.
g. A student must not submit substantial portions of the same academic work for credit or honors more than
once without permission of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted.
h. A student must not alter a grade or score in any way.
2. Fabrication: A student must not falsify or invent any information or data in an academic exercise including,
but not limited to, records or reports, laboratory results, and citations to the sources of information.
3. Plagiarism: A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words, or statements of another person without
appropriate acknowledgment. A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge
indebtedness whenever he or she does any of the following:
a. Quotes another person's actual words, either oral or written;
b. Paraphrases another person's words, either oral or written;
c. Uses another person's idea, opinion, or theory; or
d. Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless the information is common knowledge.
Forensic Chemistry I
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J. Goodpaster
4. Interference
a. A student must not steal, change, destroy, or impede another student's work. Impeding another student's work
includes, but is not limited to, the theft, defacement, or mutilation of resources so as to deprive others of the
information they contain.
b. A student must not give or offer a bribe, promise favors, or make threats with the intention of affecting a grade
or the evaluation of academic performance.
Faculty Action
If a faculty member has information that one of his/her students committed an act of academic misconduct, the
faculty member is required to hold an informal conference with the student. The conference should be prompt
and private. If the faculty member concludes that the student is responsible for the misconduct, then the faculty
member is authorized to impose an appropriate academic sanction (i.e., lower or failing grade on the
assignment, assessing a lower or failing grade for the course).
After reporting the information to the Dean of Students, he/she will review the information to determine if
additional sanctions should be applied.
Sanctions are outlined in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. This document appears on
the web at the following address: http://www.life.iupui.edu/Who/Dean/Code/
Policy on Student Academic Misconduct
Faculty are required to report all incidents of academic misconduct to the Dean of Students. For information
about policies and procedures, including due process requirements, see the Code of Student Rights,
Responsibilities, and Conduct, especially part III: Student Misconduct and Part IV: Student Disciplinary
Procedures. The code is accessible on the internet at http://www.life.iupui.edu/Who/Dean/Code
If you need any special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Adaptive
Educational Services at (317)-274-3241. The office is located in CA 001E