Forensic Chemistry (Third Edition)

Forensic Chemistry, Third Edition introduces students to the principal areas of the field from the perspective of analytical chemistry. The book provides a working foundational knowledge base for basic chemistry, introducing chemical concepts and practices from a forensic perspective (including chemistry of drugs, toxicology, combustion, chromatography, mass spectrometry, statistics, estimation of uncertainty, quality assurance/quality control, and protocols used in working forensic laboratories). The book distinguishes forensic chemistry from other types of analytical chemistry by the legal context in which the work is done, the types of samples and matrices, the variety of sample types encountered, and the extensive use of instrumentation. Current case studies illustrate the concepts and practices described. Online resources used in the field are integrated into the chapters. Example problems and detailed solutions reinforce concepts and show how they are applied in forensic laboratories.

Dr. Suzanne Bellobtained a BS (Chemistry and Criminal Justice majors) from Northern Arizona University and an MS in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven. She joined the New Mexico State Police in 1983 and worked as a forensic chemist and crime scene processor. She worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory starting in 1985 as a technical staff member. During this time, she obtained a PhD from New Mexico State University. She started her career in academia in 1994, first at Eastern Washington University where she taught undergraduate chemistry courses and assisted the university and the Washington State Patrol in developing a forensic chemistry major. In 2003, she joined the Chemistry Department at West Virginia University. Currently she mentors chemistry and forensic chemistry students from the BS to post-doctoral level.

…