Forensic scientists, functions

IR spectroscopy is an incredibly powerful tool for functional group identification, as we have seen in the preceding sections. However, in introducing this technique, we have explored IR spectra from the perspective of compounds of known structure, explaining the peaks observed in reference to each critical grouping of atoms that we know to be present. In the real world, one often encounters brand new materials of unknown structure. How IR can help in this scenario is something that a forensics scientist or natural products isolation chemist might need to worry about on a daily basis. 

The function of the forensic scientist today is largely based around Locard s exchange principle. The expertise available in an operational forensic science laboratory covers a range of disciplines and uses a number of scientific techniques. Forensic scientists must therefore be skilled in many scientific areas. They must also be aware of the demands and constraints of the legal system, so that the results of analysis satisfy the criteria of admissibility as evidence that have been established by the courts. 

---