CENTENNIAL HONORS COLLEGE
Western Illinois University
Undergraduate Research Day 2016
PosterPresentation
DifferentiatingDeciduousForestandConiferousForestSoilsUsingForensicChemistry
Methods
KatarinaBotelhoSaraiva
FacultyMentor:AndreaAlveshere
ForensicChemistry
Soil samples, obtained during the fall season in 2015, from a deciduous forest and from a coniferous
forest in the Western Illinois Taphonomic Research Sites, were analyzed and compared using forensic
chemistry analysis methods and instrumentations. The goals of this research were to check the
differencesbetweenthesoils,identifyuniquetracesofeachone,andprovideinformationtoassistin
futurecriminalinvestigationsusingdifferentscientificmethods.ThetestswereconductedtocollectpH,
oxidation and reduction potential, electrical conductivity, FTIR, and HPLC data for each soil sample.
Microscopy was also used to check physical differences between each soil sample. The samples were
alsoanalyzedwithaspectrophotometer.Thetransmittancewasreadatintervalsof30secondforthe
firstfiveminutesandthenoneminuteintervalsforthenext55minutes,totalizing1hourtoeachsoil
sample.Thesedataandanalysismethodsmaybeusefultoconnectsuspects,victims,andobjectswith
locationsinforensiccases.