Chemistry

This research project aims to establish and populate a searchable Vehicle Carpet Fibre Database for the Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS). The collection will be comprised of fibre reference samples from personally-owned vehicles, manufacturers and salvage lots. A fibre’s physical and microscopic characteristics will be recorded and search results will provide a vehicle’s make/model/year information.

Can gasoline be cross-transferred between sealed mason jars used to store fire-debris material and if so, will the cross-transfer have an impact on the validity of the subsequent forensic analysis?

During a fire investigation, Fire Marshals collect debris using glass mason jars, which are submitted to the CFS where they are examined for ignitable liquids (aka fire accelerants). Typically, jars containing fire debris are collected and shipped to the lab in cardboard boxes. We need to determine, whether or not, during the interval between collection and analysis can volatile compounds escape from one sealed jar and contaminate another jar.

Publication in a peer-reviewed journal of an unpublished draft paper tentatively titled “The Adsorptivity of Fire Debris and its Effect on Cross-Transfer of Gasoline”. The original dataset will be made available to the external partner.

To collaborate with the CFS in the area of arson/fire investigations.

Expertise with publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The CFS has expertise in fire/arson chemistry.

Cable-Tie Study: Variability, discriminating power and evidential power.

Plastic cable ties can be utilised in a range of serious criminal activities and a comparison of cable ties, or fragments, may form part of the physical evidence presented to a court of law https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29332696/
https://astee.s3.amazonaws.com/881122_JASTEE_2020_10-1_Lambert.pdf.

To bring statistical rigour to the examination of cable tie variability and establish evidential value of this examination.

To evaluate the discriminating power of compared physical properties of cable ties in order to determine the probative weight of an indistinguishable finding in casework.

Literature review of plastic cable tie examination and comparison. Expertise in probability statistics and sampling strategies. Microscopy/Stereomicroscopy.

CFS has expertise in Microscopy/Stereomicroscopy and may be able to lend an instrument for the duration of the research. The CFS may also be able to financially support costs of consumables and purchase of cable ties.

To examine the contribution chemical/physical trace evidence makes to in the Ontario Criminal Justice System

Trace evidence is defined as the analysis of materials that, because of their size or texture, transfer from one location to another and persist there for some time period. The examination of trace evidence plays a role in the criminal justice system through the support it provides to policing and the courts. However, there is a relatively small body of research that has evaluated the impact of chemical trace forensic evidence on investigative and judicial processes. For additional background see: Woodman, P.A. et.al., The impact of chemical trace evidence on justice outcomes: Exploring the additive value of forensic science disciplines, Forensic Science International Feb. 2020, Vol. 307, pp. 110-121.

Evaluate trends in demand for forensic chemical trace evidence examinations based on mining of data from the Centre of Forensic Sciences’ Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), and determine possible causal relationships by investigating contributions of trace evidence findings to criminal court cases in the Ontario justice system.

Contribute to understanding the value of chemical trace evidence in official investigations and to court proceedings in Ontario.

Experience with evaluating large datasets and undertaking multi-disciplinary research.

Access to CFS datasets including LIMS information and case records.

Development of a method for the detection of drugs in non-biological matrices by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).

The CFS Chemistry Section analyzes non-biological samples (e.g. food products and residues, stomach contents) for the presence of noxious substances such as drugs, insecticides etc. The current procedure employs an optimized QuEChERS method to extract analytes of interest, followed by derivatization and subsequent analysis by GC-MS and/or LC-DAD. A few years ago, the CFS Toxicology Section developed a method for detecting drugs in biological samples (blood, urine) by means of LC-QTOF-MS. The Chemistry Section is looking to apply QTOF to the analysis of drugs in non-biological samples.

The goal of this research project is to develop a drug screening method (incl. extraction steps) for non-biological matrices utilizing LC-QTOF-MS. The method is to be evaluated based on performance characteristics such as accuracy, precision, specificity/selectivity, limit of detection, ruggedness/robustness and practicality.

We are seeking an external partner to work with the CFS project leads on the experimental design and technical implementation of QTOF analysis for drug detection in non-biological matrices.

Expertise in LC-QTOF-MS and access to a LC-QTOF mass spectrometer. The research partner is expected to design the experimental protocol (in partnership with CFS), conduct the research project and be lead author on a publication.

The CFS can provide training in the extraction and derivatization of non-biological samples (e.g. QuEChERS method), drug reference standards and other consumables, and access to procedures and protocols used for drug detection in the Toxicology Section.

Analyze transfer and persistence of metals such as Pb, Ba and Sb between two pieces of fabric to gain a better understanding of gunshot residue (GSR) trace evidence transfer and persistence.

The goal of this research would be to gain a better understanding of GSR trace evidence transfer and persistence patterns through studying the transfer and persistence of the elemental metals (inorganic elements) GSR is composed of. Specifically, to measure the extent of transfer events (how often trace evidence is detected to be transferred and in what situations transfer occurs) between two fabrics and its detection over time (persistence)