Problems of Forensic Sciences 2014 Vol. 100 (C) 307-317
SEEING THE INVISIBLE – CRIMINALISTIC MICROTRACES
Janina ZIĘBA-PALUS
Institute of Forensic Research, Kraków, Poland
Streszczenie
Great advances have been made in the analysis of traces/microtraces for forensic purposes: new analytical techniques, modern sensitive equipment and appropriate software have been introduced and applied to the identification and comparative analysis of such traces. Due to the small amounts of materials available for examination, their uniqueness and the fact that they constitute evidence in court, sensitive and non-destructive research microtechniques are used in their analysis, enabling detection and identification of microgram quantities of substances, often without the need for isolation from the substrate in which they occur. Microspectrometry is an indispensable technique in the examination of traces, directly linking (online) an optical microscope with a spectrometer working in various ranges of electromagnetic radiation. The paper focuses on two types, namely Raman microspectrometry and microspectrometry in the visible range (MSP-Vis). Both techniques enable observation of the morphology of studied materials and comparison of their colour in a way that is independent of the observer, as well as allowing determination of their pigment composition. The obtained results are helpful in the identification and comparative analysis of traces.
Słowa kluczowe
Microtraces; Raman microspectrometry; Microspectrometry in the visible range; Comparison.