Crime-solving

The concerns of the biochemist, as outlined in chapter 3 of part 2, address the automobile s most dangerous component—the one located directly behind the wheel. But biochemists are also concerned with the sources and management of alternative materials harvested from the biosphere. In chapter 4 of part 2, we consider the efforts of analytical chemists and find that these intrepid souls draw from all of the above described disciplines. It is the job of the analytical chemist to certify the consistency and quality of many materials, including materials for cars, and in some instances, the consistency and quality of human life—as we will see when we consider the contributions of this field to crime-solving as well as cars. In chapter 5, we peer into our crystal ball to see the future of chemistry a universe of new sources and substances. These new materials will no doubt lead to remarkable innovations—and, of course, new cars ... 

Welker I will grant you that it is not the controlling factor, but is it a fact that your investigation shows that many of the most sadistic, terrible crimes, solved or unsolved, we can trace directly to the marijuana user ... 

A DNA fingerprint can be used for many purposes other than solving violent crimes. In particular, it can serve to identify deceased individuals. In June of 1998 the "Vietnam Unknown" buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery was identified by DNA technology. He was shown to be First Lieutenant Michael Blassie, shot down over Vietnam in May of 1972. DNA samples taken from his mother matched those obtained from his body. A month later Blassie, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, was reburied in a national cemetery located in that city. 

The problem in its entirety can be characterised by means of analogies. Thus the chemist Leslie Orgel, who carried out successful experiments on chemical evolution for many years, compared the struggle to solve the biogenesis problem with a crime novel the researchers are the detectives looking for clues to solve the case . But there are hardly any clues left, since no relicts remain from processes which took place on Earth more than four billion years ago. 

Evans, Colin. The Casebook of Forensic Detection How Science Solved 100 of the World s Most Baffling Crimes. New York John Wiley Sons, Inc., 1996. 

The DNA fingerprinting technique has now been applied almost routinely in all modem forensic laboratories to solve various crimes. When a DNA... 

Chemical reactions can help the police solve crimes, too. Lumi-nol, for example, is a chemical that reacts with blood. Police use luminol to look for traces of blood at crime scenes. When luminol comes into contact with hemoglobin, a chemical found in blood, it produces light. In the chemical reaction between luminol and hemoglobin, the reactants have more energy than the products of the reaction, so the reaction gives off energy in the form of visible light photons. This reaction is chemiluminescent. 

Chemistry is often used to solve crimes. Soil samples from a suspect s shoes or from the tread of the car tyre used by the suspect is analysed for pH value. This is compared with the pH of the soil at the scene of crime. The DNA (from hair, fingernail, saliva etc.) of the suspect is determined by a special technique. This is called DNA finger printing . 

Goff, M. L. (2000). A Fly for the Prosecution How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes. Cambridge, MA Harvard University Press. 

Forensic scientists examine evidence from crime scenes in an effort to solve crimes. This scientist is removing a piece of blood-stained material gathered at a crime scene for DNA testing. 

Television detectives miraculously have the ability to solve the most complicated crimes in less than an hour, few can do it with as much style and obsessiveness as the main character on Monk. 

Determining the identity of an unknown compound is important in all kinds of research. It can even be used to solve crimes. Forensic scientists specialize in analyzing evidence for criminal and legal cases. To understand why forensic scientists might need to find out the molecular formula of a compound, consider the following example. 

What other types of crime could be solved by a forensic chemist Brainstorm a list. 

Under normal circumstances, solving a crime involves criminological investigations in order to obtain irrefutable evidence with which to convict the criminal. Since eyewitness statements are frequently very imprecise, it is the task of the courts to establish the true state of the matter on the basis of incontrovertible facts and evidence. Murder ranks among the most heinous of crimes, which is why it is particularly necessary in such cases to precisely establish the relevant facts. In such a crime, the scene of the crime, the murder weapon, the course of events, the cause of death, and the motive are generally investigated in order to ascertain the identity of the murderer/s. The whereabouts of the victims is also of central importance. 

Gets better at solving crimes with each case. 

In many ways, readers are a lot like detectives. Like detectives looking for dues at the scene of the crime, readers look for clues to meaning in the books that they read. And, like detectives who get better and better at solving crimes with each case, readers get better and better at understanding what they read with each book. Unfortunately for detectives, however, they cannot choose which cases they get to work on, whereas readers have the pleasure of choosing which books they d like to read. 

Inferences, as you may recall, are conclusions based on reason, fact, or evidence. Good inferences come from good observations. The observations are the evidence for the inferences. Good inferences—ones based on careful observation—can help you determine meaning, as they helped Sherlock Holmes solve crimes. 

Next to the personality factors are the candidate s stands on various issues. You see five issues, each with a sliding scale of one (at the far left, representing liberal) to six (conservative). A Republican who wants to get tough on crime, for example, will have a rank of six. A Democrat who wants to solve the unemployment problem will haye a rating of one. 

Murder may be undertaken out of interest, which is then transmuted into passion, as illustrated by the following generic plot of many crime novels. A son in need of money suddenly has the thought that all his problems would be solved if his father died. Although he first recoils in horror at the thought, he then begins to ask himself why his father could not help him out of his gambling debts, one more time. It is not as if the old man needs the money, so the refusal... 

Throughout the pages of this encyclopedia, you will learn the definitions of chemical terms, literally from A to Z, and will read fascinating biographies of some of the leading chemists of the past and present. The volume also includes a set of essays by today s chemists on the role chemistry plays in our daily lives, ranging from how chemistry helps solve crimes to how it provides dyes for our latest fashions. 

---