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The Importance Of Forensic Chemistry

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Forensic chemistry is a mystery to many. Common questions include, “What kinds of technology are used in forensic chemistry?”, “How does forensic chemistry in real life compare to what is seen on television?”, and “How can one tell whether or not evidence gained from forensic chemistry is reliable?”. An essential supplement to both the world of chemistry and that of crime solving investigation (CSI), advancing technologies within this field such as DNA fingerprinting, agglutination testing (used to test blood type), photometry (used to determine the type of poison or drug at a crime scene) (“Photometry”, 2007), and forensic odontology (making use of bite marks found at the crime scene) continue to kindle the ongoing debate of the reliability of forensic evidence and whether it should be able to be presented in a court (Schweitzer, 2007). In addition, with the growing number of crime dramas seen on television today, forensic chemistry is sometimes misread by the general public as being synonymous to military, police, or medical work; the difference between these careers and one in, for example, forensic anthropology (individuals who can be called to crime scenes in order to divulge additional evidence) (“Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)”, 2016), are entirely different. Overall, forensic chemistry is unique in the way that it makes up the backbone both for scientific and for criminal justice fields, and without the advanced technologies used in the forensic chemistry field

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