http://soinc.

org/forensics_notes
http://soinc.org/sites/default/files/uploaded_files/forensics/For_Forensics_Web_Sites.pdf

Rules
InRound

Solids
Flowchart
TableofProperties
Pictures
Applications

Polymers
TableofProperties
Hair

Chromatography/Spectroscopy
PhysicalEvidence
FingerprintAnalysis
DNA
GlassAnalysis
Entomology
Spatters
Seeds,tracks,andsoil
Blood
Bulletstriations

Analysis

Solids
Flowchart

TableofProperties

Pictures

SodiumBicarbonate

SodiumChloride

LithiumChloride:

SodiumCarbonate:

PotassiumChloride:

CalciumNitrate:

CalciumSulfate:

CalciumCarbonate:

Cornstarch:

Glucose:

Sucrose

BoricAcid:

MagnesiumSulfate:

AmmoniumChloride:

Applications:

Polymers
TableofProperties

Plastic

Abbr.

Density

OtherKeyFeatures

CommonlyUsedtoMake

Polystyrene

PS

~1.05
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbyaddition,
reactswithacetone

styrofoam,tableware,coffee
cups,toys,lighting,signs,
insulation

Polypropylene

PP

~0.90
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbyaddition

foodcontainers,medicine
containers,automobile
batteries,carpet,rope,
plasticwrap,labequipment

PolyvinylChloride

PVC

~1.38
g/cm^3

Burnsgreen,polymerizesby
addition

foodpackaging,shampoo
containers,construction
(ahemPVCpipes...yousee
themoften),tiles,credit
cards

LowDensity
Polyethylene

LDPE

~0.92
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbyaddition,
ethylenemonomerunits
branchoutmorethanHDPE

foodcontainers(specifically
bags),grocerybags,plastic
wrap,etc.

HighDensity
Polyethylene

HDPE

~0.95
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbyaddition,
monomerunitsmorelinear

foodcontainers,bags,
lumber,furniture,flower
pots,signs,trashcans,toys

Polycarbonate

PC

~1.20
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbycondensation,
clear

shatterproofglass,eyeglass
lenses

Polyethylene
Terephthalate

PETE

~1.37
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbycondensation,
shrivelswithheat

softdrinkbottles,carpet,
fiberfill,rope,scouring
pads,fabric,Mylar

Polymethyl
Methacrylate

PMMA

~1.16
g/cm^3

Polymerizesbyaddition,
reactswithacetone

Plexiglas,glasssubstitute

Fibers
Fiber

Type

Fact

BurnTestResults

Microscopic
View

Wool

Animal

Most
commonly
usedanimal

shrivels,leavesbrownblackresidue,
smellslikeburninghair/grass

cylinderwith
scales

fiber,dissolves
inbleach
Silk

Animal

Smootherthan
wool,dissolves
inbleach

shrivels,leavesblackresidue,smellslike
burningmeat,leavesblackbead>black
powder(likewool)

thin,longand
smooth
cylinder

Cotton

Vegetabl
e

Mostwidely
usedplant
fiber,fairly
shortfibers

burnswithasteadyflame,smellslike
burningpaper,abletoblowflamefrom
threadlikeamatch,leavesacharred
whitishash

irregular
twistedribbon

Linen

Vegetabl
e

fibersgenerally
longerand
smootherthan
cotton

burnsataconstantrate,doesnotproduce
smoke,smellslikeburninggrass,
producessparks

smooth,
bamboolike
structure

Polyester

Synthetic

fiberscanbe
anylength

melts,onlyigniteswhenintheflame,
dripswhenitburnsandbondsquicklyto
anysurfaceitdripson,producessweet
odorandhard,colored(sameasfiber)ash

completely
smooth
cylinder

Nylon

Synthetic

longfibers

curls,melts,producesblackresidue,
smellslikeburningplastic(somesources
sayitsmellslikecelery?),ignitesonly
whenbroughtintoflame

fine,round,
smooth,
translucent

Spandex

Synthetic

canstretchto
eighttimesits
originallength

meltsquickly,softblackash,chemical
odor

Flattened,
ridgedfibers,
clustered

Hair:

Cathairisusuallyfinerthan
humanhairordoghair.Doghaircanbeoftwodifferentkinds.Theoutercoatis
generallyverycoarseandoftenstraight.Theundercoatisoftenfineandcanbevery
curly.Inhumanhair,thecolorofthehaircanmakeadifferencetoo.Generally
speaking,darkhairisthickerthanblondhairandredhairisthefinest.

Hairfolliclesgrowinrepeatedcycles.Onecyclecanbebrokendowninto
threephases.
1)AnagenGrowthPhase
2)CatagenTransitionalphase
3)TelogenRestingPhase

Eachhairpassesthroughthephasesindependentoftheneighboringhairs.
AnagenPhaseGrowthPhase
Approximately85%ofallhairsareinthegrowingphaseatanyonetime.
TheAnagenphaseorgrowthphasecanvaryfromtwotosixyears.Hair
growsapproximately10cmperyearandanyindividualhairisunlikelyto
growmorethanonemeterlong.
CatagenPhasetransitionalphase
AttheendoftheAnagenphasethehairsentersintoaCatagenphasewhich
lastsaboutoneortwoweeks,duringtheCatagenphasethehairfollicle
shrinkstoabout1/6ofthenormallength.Thelowerpartisdestroyedand
thedermalpapillabreaksawaytorestbelow.
TelogenPhaserestingphase
Therestingphasefollowsthecatagenphaseandnormallylastsabout56
weeks.Duringthistimethehairdoesnotgrowbutstaysattachedtothe
folliclewhilethedermalpapillastaysinarestingphasebelow

http://soinc.org/sites/default/files/uploaded_files/forensics/For_Hair&Fiber.pdf
http://soinc.org/sites/default/files/uploaded_files/forensics/For_Hair_Analysis2.pdf

Chromatography:

ChromatographyFormula:Rf=p/swherethevariable"p"isthedistancethepigment(theinkor

juice)travels(measuredfromthecenterofthecolorband)andthevariable"s"isthedistancethe
solvent(usuallywateroracetone)travels.

MassSpectrometryTheyaxisisameasureofthepercentabundanceThexaxisisthem/z
ratio(molarmass)Thelinesareknownaspeaks.Readinggraphsofmassspec::
1)Searchforamolecularionpeakfirst.Itmaynotalwaysbepresent,butcommonlyisthe
largestpeak,exceptforisotopicpeaks.TheNominalMolecularWeight(MW)isaroundedvalue
assignedtothemoleculerepresentingtheclosestwholenumbertothemolecularweight.This
valueisevenifthecompoundbeinganalyzedcontainssimplyCarbon,Hydrogen,Oxygen,
Sulfur,orSilicon.Thevaluewillbeoddifanyoftheseelementsarecombinedwithanodd
numberofNitrogen.
2)Attempttocalculatethechemicalformula,usingisotopicpeaksandusingthisorder:Lookfor
A+2elements:O,Si,S,Cl,BrLookforA+1elements:C,NAndthen:"A"elements:H,F,P,
I.Fromlookingattheisotopicpeaks,itispossibletodeterminerelativeabundanceofspecific
elements.
3)Calculatethetotalnumberofringsplusdoublebonds:Forthemolecularformula:CxHyNzOn
rings+doublebonds=x(1/2)y+(1/2)z+1
4)Trytodeterminethemolecularstructurebaseduponabundanceofisotopesandm/zof

fragments.
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/analysis/masspec/howitworks.html

PhysicalEvidence
Fingerprints:

Thereareeightfingerprintpatternstoknow.Theyare:PlainWhorl,UlnarLoop,RadialLoop,
PlainArch,TentedArch,CentralPocketLoop,DoubleLoop,AccidentalWhorl

Whorlshavetwoormoredeltas.Thepresenceofmorethantwodeltasindicatesanaccidental
whorl.
Loopshaveonlyonedelta.Thedifferencebetweenanulnarloopandaradialloopisthatulnar
loops"enterandexit"onthesidefacingthepinky(thesideofthewristcontainingtheulna)
whileradialloopsdosoonthesidefacingthethumb(thesideofthewristcontainingtheradius).
Archeshavenodeltas.Tentedarchesareeasilydistinguishablebythetriangularcore.
MethodsofDevelopment

Latentprintsmustbedevelopedinordertobeseen.Therearefourcommonmethodsandone
lesscommonmethod:
Dusting:Powderappliedtoprintsstickstofattyacidsandlipids.
IodineFuming:Selfexplanatorybyitsname.Itwasoneoftheearliestmethodsoffingerprint
development.Theiodinereactswithbodyfatsandoilsinprints.
Ninhydrin:achemicalmethodusefulforliftinglatentprintsonpaper.Itreactswithaminoacids
inprints.
Cyanoacrylate(Superglue)Fuming:Alsoselfexplanatorybyitsname.Italsoreactswith
moistureintheairaswellasreactingwithsubstancesintheprints,formingstickywhitematerial

alongridges.Goodfornonporoussurfaces.
SmallParticleReagent(SPR):Notascommonastheothermethodsused,butstillimportant.
SPRisusedforwetsurfacesandreactswiththelipidspresentinfingerprints.
Features

DNA
AlthoughmanycompetitionsthathaveincludeDNAasevidencerequirematchingofDNA
fingerprints,questionsaboutbasicDNAphysiologyandprinciplescomeupalongwiththem.
PCR(PolymeraseChainReaction),amethodofsyntheticDNAreplication,alsocomesup
sometimes.

ThefournucleotidesthatcomposeDNAareadenine,cytosine,thymine,andguanine.
WithaDNAfingerprint,largerfragmentsofDNAarelocatedontherightsidewhilesmaller
onesarelocatedontheleft.Thisisbecauseofgelelectrophoresis,whichmakethefingerprints.
Whenthecurrentrunsthroughthegelduringthisprocess,becauseDNAisnegativelycharged,it
willmovetowardsthepositiveendofthebox.SmallerfragmentsofDNAwillobviouslymove
fartherthroughthegelfilterthanlargerones.

PCR,asalreadystated,
standsforPolymeraseChain

ReactionitisamethodofsyntheticDNAreplicationdevelopedinthelate20thcentury.PCR
hasbeenverycrucialtomolecularbiologyandforensics,thenandnow,soitsdevelopment
earnedaNobelPrize.

Glass:
Iftheglass'srefractiveindexisthesameorclose
tothatofaliquid,thenthepieceofglasswillnot
bevisibleinthatliquid(useexactsameliquidsthatareusedforplastics)

Fractures:Cracksendatexistingcracks,Asmallforceformscircularcracks,Radialcracksand
chonchoidalcracksmakerightangles,butfacedifferentways.Whendealingwithfractures,
rememberthe3Rsofglassfracture:RadialcracksatRightanglesontheReversesideofimpact,
Aforceveryclosetotheglassbeforeimpact,suchasagunshotorarock,willcompletelyshatter
theglass

Entomology:
FreshStage:
Stagesofinsectsfoundonadeadbodycantellhowlongthevictimhasbeendead.Themost
commonaretheblowflyandthebeetle.Blowfliesappear
first,withinminutesorhoursofthedeath.Fleshfliescanarriveatthesametimeasblowflies,
butgenerallyarriveslightlylater.Certainamountsoftimelapsebetweeneachlifestage,which
cantellthistime.Forexample,ifonlymaggotswerefoundonthedeadbody,thatmeansthe
victimprobablydiedlessthantwentyfourhoursago.Beetlesusuallyarrivewellaftertheblow
andfleshflies,andaregenerallythelastinsectleftonthebodyaftermonthsofdecomposition.
Mitesarealsogenerallypresentwiththesebeetlesinitiallybecausetheyhelpsuppressmaggots,
andassuchallowcertaintypesofbeetles.

Spatters
LowVelocity
Formation.

Appearstobedroplikeandformsatspeedslessthen
5f/s

MediumVelocity
Formation

Appearsinalineartypeofdroppattern525f/s

HighVelocity
Formation

Appearsinessentiallyarandompatternaround100f/s

AngleofImpact:Theangleatwhichaspatterhitsasurface.Theformulaforitis:=arcsin(W/L)
,Wheretheta()istheangle,Wisthewidthofthespatter,andListhelength
AreaofOrigin:The3dareawherethebloodcamefrom,HAoO=dtan(AoI),Hisheightabove
AreaofConvergence(wherethelongaxesofthespattersmeet)
http://www.crimesceneinvestigator.net/SimplifiedGuideBloodstainPatterns.pdf

Seeds,Soil,Tracks,Pollen
SeedsandPollen:Inthissectionofthecompetition,almostnopracticeisneeded.The
participantsmustbeabletocomparetheevidencefromthecrimescenetothatwhichisfoundon
thesuspects.Theymayalsoberequiredtomatchcertaintypesofseedsorpollenstoaregionof
thenationorworld,whichisgenerallycommonsense.Itis,however,helpfultohaveageneral
knowledgeaboutvariouskindsofpollenandcommonregionallyidentifiableplants.Thismay
includeplantssuchascottonorrice,whichcanonlygrowinspecificclimates.
Tracks:Inthissection,mostobservationswillbequalitative.Often,theonlynecessaryactionis
tocomparethegivenphotographstothetrackprovidedatthe"scene."Thesetrackscanbe
footprintsortiretracks,bothofwhichcanbeidentifiedbythetreadthatisleftontheground.
Checkingthepattern,shape,andsizeofeachdistinctpartofthesoleonashoeisgenerally
necessarytomakea100%accuratematch.
Soil:Soilcanbeusedasawaytopossiblyconnectasuspecttothegeneralareaofthecrime.For
example,ifthecrimewascommittedatthebeach(howeverunlikelyitis),andonesuspecthad
sandonhim,thenyoucouldpossiblyinferthatthesuspectwasnearthesceneofthecrime.

BloodUsingAntigenAandAntigenBserums,itispossibletofindanybloodtype.Ifthe
bloodreactswiththeAantigenonly,thenitistypeA.IfitreactsonlywithBantigen,itistype.
Ifitreactswithboth,thenthebloodtypeisAB,andifitreactswithnoneofthetestingliquids,
thenitisO.ABistheleastcommonbloodtype,O+themost
Luminol(C8H7N3O2)isusedtopickuptracesofbloodatacrimesceneit+anoxidantwill
fluoresceinthepresenceofacatalystsuchashemoglobin

BulletStriations
Bulletstriationsareprettymuchjustliketracks.Prettymuchtheonlythingyouhavetodoistry
tomatchtheoneofthesuspects'bulletstriationtothatoftheonefoundatthescene.

Analysis

Rules

InRound

010

1020

2030

3040

4050

Liam

SolidID

SolidID

Chromatograph
y

misc

Looseends

Saba

Physical
Evidence

Physical
Evidence

Polymers

writtenanalysis

Finish
analysis