Forensic Chemistry II
FIS 40400
Dr. John Goodpaster
Assistant Professor-Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program
jvgoodpa@iupui.edu
Office: LD 326
Phone: 317-274-6881
Prerequisites: FIS 40100. Open only to FIS majors or by permission of instructor
Textbook: Forensic Chemistry II Course Pack and Laboratory Manual. You will also need
safety glasses.
Course Description
This course will cover the major techniques used in the analysis of chemical and trace
evidence commonly encountered at crime scenes. This course will be broken down into 2
modules. The laboratory section will cover techniques used during the analysis of trace
and chemical evidence in a forensic laboratory.
There will lecture and lab components for each type of evidence. You will be working in
small groups during the lab portion of this class except during the final mock case. Even
though you and your partner(s) may be collecting data together, you are completely
responsible for all of the lab work and the work on the lab reports must be your own.
Principles of Undergraduate Learning covered within the course
Integration & Application of Knowledge - meet professional standards and competencies
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; Intellectual adaptiveness is demonstrated by the ability
to modify one's approach to an issue or problem based on the contexts and requirements of
particular situations
Critical Thinking - analyze complex issues & make informed decisions
Course Content and Goals
Module 1 will cover 2 topics. The overall goal of this module is to understand different
types of impression and physical match evidence. This module will examine different types
of fingerprinting and casting techniques used and how to collect and preserve impression
evidence as well as interpretation of evidence found. Physical matches will also be included
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in this module. Performing fracture matches on evidence will be done. The content and
goals for this module will be:




Distinguish between different techniques used to collect and preserve fingerprints
and other impressions
Analyze fingerprint patterns
Prepare fingerprints and casts by using different methods
Compare casting molds to donor
Module 2 will cover 3 topics. The overall goal of this module is to discuss and practice the
analysis of trace evidence. This module will cover hairs, fibers, and glass.
1. Hairs
 Distinguish general hair characteristics and demonstrate differences between
human and animal hair
 Explain differences in human hair due to body location
 Distinguish racial characteristics of human hair
 Apply microscopic techniques to hair evidence
2. Fibers
 Distinguish general characteristics of textile fibers
 Explain differences between natural and synthetic fibers
 Classify general characteristics of a fiber to aid in its identification
 Compare characteristics of fibers to determine similarities and differences
 Apply instrumental techniques to fiber evidence
3. Glass
 Understand specific terminology used in glass analysis, such as refractive index,
Becke line, immersion oils and monochromatic filters
 Perform refractive index measurements of glass
 Apply instrumental techniques to glass evidence
Module 3 will cover 5 topics. The overall goal of this module is to discuss and practice the
analysis of chemical evidence. This module will cover illicit drugs, paints, inks, questioned
documents, fire residue, and explosives.
4. Illicit Drugs
 Explain different types of illicit drugs by schedules, affect, and type of material
 Identify all types of illicit drugs
 Apply instrumental techniques to illicit drugs
5. Paints
 Become knowledgeable about sample preparation techniques commonly used for
paint examinations
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

Use a stereomicroscope for solubility testing, cross-sectioning, and general
examinations of paint
Apply instrumental techniques to paint evidence
6. Inks and Questioned Documents
 Become knowledgeable about techniques commonly used in questioned document
examinations
 Apply instrumental techniques to ink evidence
7. Fire Residue
 Become knowledgeable about techniques commonly used in fire residue
examinations
 Apply instrumental techniques to fire residues
8. Explosives
 Become knowledgeable about techniques commonly used in explosives
examinations
 Apply instrumental techniques to intact explosives
Grading
The total points for the course include the lab and lecture components. The percentages
associated with a given letter grade are listed below. Your grades will also be available on
OnCourse.
There will be 10 labs throughout the semester, each worth 40 points. Each lab will consist
of a pre-lab worksheet to be completed before lab, worksheet pages to be completed during
the lab, a lab report and results sheet, and a post-lab worksheet to be completed after
completed the lab. Pre-labs are due at the beginning of the start of the lab. The lab report
and result sheets, worksheet pages, and post-labs are due one week after finishing the lab
exercise by 5pm. Late assignments will be penalized by 3 points for every day late
(excluding weekends).
There will be three exams throughout the semester, all worth 100 points.
3 Exams @ 100 points
9 Lab reports @ 40 points
Mock case systematic analysis, report and trial
Total
Points
300
360
200
860
Grading Scale
Your grade will be based on a strict grading scale as outlined below. There will be no
curving of final grades.
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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%
OnCourse
You will need to have access to the internet for this course. OnCourse will be used on a
regular basis for uploading lab materials such as pre-labs, laboratory exercises, and postlabs, as well as report sheets and cover sheets for the labs. We will also post lecture
handouts and PowerPoint presentations on OnCourse. If you have questions on using
OnCourse please ask. We will be using the newest version of Windows.
General Lab Procedures
These procedures apply to all of the laboratory exercises.
1. You will be working in groups this semester. In general there will be several
experiments set up at the same time and you will rotate through them so as to
minimize backups and wait time on a particular instrument. Even though you will be
working in groups and will be collecting data as a group, you are responsible for
turning in your own pre lab materials, worksheets, and lab reports.
2. You will be working in several venues as our instruments and work space are
spread out. You will learn more about this on the first day of class when we take a
tour of the lab facilities. No food or beverages may be brought into any of these labs.
The two main locations for the lab are:
a. SL 309 – this is the main lab where you will be working. Each group will have
bench space in this room and other materials that you will need during the
course. All microscopes, balances and a light box will be kept in the room at
all times and other instruments may be moved in as needed. All of the
materials that you will need for an experiment will also be kept in that room.
While in this room, you MUST wear goggles or safety glasses. When you are
manipulating chemicals, you MUST wear gloves.
b. LD 040 – This is the forensic science research lab. This lab has the FTIR and
UV-visible-near-IR microspectrophotometer, and the Raman. It also contains
some stereo and higher powered microscopes, a GRIM 2, and the Shimadzu
GCMS and GC-FID. The latter instrument is outfitted with a pyrolyzer. You
should observe the same rules as in the other labs. There is plenty of bench
space but please bring only what you need into the lab and minimize the
presence of chemicals. There is also a phone in the lab. If you need to get hold
of an instructor you can use this phone.
3. We will concentrate on the analytical schemes used to analyze evidence. This will
give us a chance to address the common issues and problems that arise in analysis.
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Real evidence types will still be used for these manipulations. The emphasis in this
class will be on the applications of forensic analytical techniques along with the
correct identification of an unknown.
4. You will not keep a lab notebook for this course. Instead, you will use worksheets,
which are on the Oncourse site for this class to take notes about your experiments.
They will be handwritten in ink and turned in with your lab reports and post lab
questions. These will be handwritten. In a real crime lab, notebooks are not used.
Instead, you must produce original notes on each case.
5. You will also turn in a lab report for each lab exercise. There is a template on the
Oncourse site and a specimen of how this would look if it were a real case. One
report will be made for each group of lab exercises unless you are told differently.
Each individual lab exercise will then be an “item” in the report. This will be
explained further in ‘forensic chemistry reports 101’.
6. You will have a lab cover sheet on top of all your lab reports. This cover sheet
explains what you will be graded on in the lab report, what we are looking for and
how many points each section of the report will be worth.
7. Pre-labs will be turned in separately at the start of the lab. The cover sheet, report
sheet, lab results and worksheet pages will be turned in one week after completion
of lab by 5pm as a printed hard copy. These can be turned in during lab or to the
Chemistry Office to the TA. Post-labs are also to be turned in one week after
completion of the lab by 5pm. Pre-labs, post-labs and report and result sheets must
be typed.
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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.
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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
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