U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Forensics: Evidence Examination via Raman Spectroscopy

NCJ Number
254250
Journal
Physical Sciences Reviews Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: 2019
Author(s)
Marisia A. Fikiet; Shelby R. Khandasammy; Ewelina Mistek; Yasmine Ahmed; Lenka Halamkova; Justin Bueno; Igor K Lednev
Date Published
2019
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article reviews literature published between 2015 and 2017 that pertains to new methods developed for forensic applications based on Raman spectroscopy.
Abstract

Forensic science can be broadly defined as the application of any of the scientific methods to solving a crime. Within forensic science, there are many different disciplines; however, for the majority of them, the following five main concepts shape the nature of forensic examination: transfer, identification, classification/individualization, association, and reconstruction. The concepts of identification, classification/individualization, and association rely greatly on analytical chemistry techniques; therefore, it is no stretch to see how one of the rising stars of analytical chemistry techniques, Raman spectroscopy, could be of use. Raman spectroscopy is known for needing a small amount of sample, being non-destructive, and very substance specific, all of which make it ideal for analyzing crime scene evidence. (publisher abstract modified)