Investigating Chemistry: Introductory Chemistry from a Forensic Science Perspective

By Matthew E. Johll

Book Overview

Fingerprinting revolutionized the field of forensic science because it is a method of absolute identification connecting a person to an object. A person guilty of a crime could no longer deny his or her presence at a crime scene without weaving a web of lies. Understanding how fingerprint evidence is collected and preserved requires a knowledge of the chemicals present in a fingerprint. The chemical composition of a fingerprint can vary from one individual to another and may contain various inorganic ions, organic acids, lipids, and water. Book jacket.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1429255226
• ISBN13: 9781429255226
• Release Date: January 2012
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman
• Length: 482 Pages
• Weight: 2.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.0" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

From a chemistry newbie

This book was purchased for a college class in beginning chemistry and is far from the standard dry science text. The author gives clear detail about chemistry with interwoven bits of forensic science to give body to the dryer chemistry information. I've found I can remember the chemistry better by remembering a comparison to soil samples or whatever else the author uses as an example. While one can learn chemistry by reading a dry text and practicing the problems given, the method this author uses is absorbed and understood with far more depth. Without going into gory detail, the author describes a crime scene and the case that sprouted from it. Then the author teaches chemistry by giving facts about chemistry. The information is easy to read and keeps the attention of the reader by comparing basic chemistry to applications of chemistry in forensic science. The final word is the chemistry teacher did well by the students in choosing this book.