Chemical Evidence in Forensic Science

Chemical Evidence in Forensic Science Quiz Crafted By-

Pratima Kumari

Team Member

Sherlock Institute of Forensic Science India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi

Introduction to Chemical Evidence in Forensic Science

Forensic chemistry is the application of chemistry and its subfield, forensic toxicology, in a legal setting. A forensic chemist can assist in the identification of unknown materials found at a crime scene. Specialists in this field have a wide array of methods and instruments to help identify unknown substances. These include high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thin layer chromatography. The range of different methods is important due to the destructive nature of some instruments and the number of possible unknown substances that can be found at a scene. Forensic chemists prefer using nondestructive methods first, to preserve evidence and to determine which destructive methods will produce the best results.

Ques 1. Following is a set of chemical evidence

a) Drugs, explosives, ink

b) Semen, blood, saliva

c) Soil, Mud, plastic

d) Diatoms, fungi, pollen

Answer- a) Drugs, explosives, ink

Ques 2. Acetaldehyde gives which colour with schiff's reagent?                                                     

a) Blue

b) Red

c) Green

d) Pink                                                  

Answer- d) Pink

Ques 3. Gun powder and Nitrocellulose are examples of

a) Trace evidence

b) Biological evidence

c) Chemical evidence

d) Both a and c                                    

Answer-d) Both a and c

Ques 4. Vapour Trace analyzer is used to detect 

a) Non volatile organic compounds                                                    

b) Volatile organic compounds

c) Volatile inorganic compounds                                                    

d) Non volatile inorganic compounds

Answer-b) Volatile organic compounds

Ques 5. Sarin Gas is

a) Nerve agent                                                     

b) Respiratory agent

c)  Systemic agent                                                      

d) Skin agent

Answer-a) Nerve agent 

Ques 6. Chemical analysis of the dyes in the fibre may be performed using

a) LCMS                                                   

b) ICPM

c) NAA                                                        

d) FTIR

Answer-d) FTIR

Ques 7. Chemical erasures can be deciphered by

a) Reflected light                                                    

b) Polarized light

c) Thiocyanic acid                                                       

d) All of the above

Answer-c) Thiocyanic acid 

Ques 8. Sodium fluoride is not used for the preservation of

a) Cyanide                                                      

b) Arsenic

c) Alcohol                                                        

d) Carbon monoxide

Answer-b) Arsenic

Ques 9. Paint can be analyzed by

a) Gel diffusion                                                     

b) Electrophoresis

c) Absorption elution method                                                       

d) Pyrolysis gas chromatography

Answer-d) Pyrolysis gas chromatography

Ques 10. Age of the ink can be determined by

a) Colour                                                      

b) Chloride diffusion

c) Sulphate diffusion                                                       

d) None of the above

Answer-b) Chloride diffusion