Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry in Forensic Science Applications

• NCJ Number: 253941
• Author(s): Mayara P. V. Matos; Glen P. Jackson
• Date Published: May 2019
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2013-DN-BX-K007; 2018-75-CX-0033
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description; Issue Overview
• Award: Biometrics from the Isotopic Analysis of Amino Acids in Human Hair; Structural Characterization of Emerging Synthetic Drugs

Annotation

This review highlights advances in the application of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) to materials of interest to the forensic community.

Abstract

Attention is given to the natural abundance differences in the stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, because they are the most abundant and informative elements in typical forensic casework. This report also presents some of the recent developments in normalization, error reporting, and data analysis, which together provide a more scientific and robust foundation for admissibility in court. The review focuses on research published in the last decade and is organized into 10 major sections, including human provenancing, wildlife forensics, environmental forensics, seized drugs, ignitable liquids, explosives, food forensics, poisoning, questioned documents and miscellaneous applications. (publisher abstract modified)