Forensic glass examinations—A review focused on elemental spectrochemical analysis

Abstract

Glass is a trace material commonly found at crime scenes that can provide valuable information at early investigative stages and during a trial. The forensic analysis of glass has steadily evolved since the 1970s with numerous technological advances in spectroscopy and spectrometry. This article presents an advanced review of the recent literature concerning the forensic examination of glass evidence and discusses the current state and future opportunities of the discipline. The review focuses on established elemental spectrochemical techniques, including Inductively Coupled Plasma methods (ICP), laser‐ablation, and x‐ray Fluorescence (XRF) methods, and newer applications using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman Spectroscopy, and accelerator and reactor nuclear techniques. A brief overview of the transfer, persistence, interpretation, and analytical schemes implemented in the field is revised to provide context to the discussion of the capabilities and limitations of the current and emerging technology. This article is categorized under: Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Trace Evidence

Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials

“…A review of the elemental spectrochemical analysis of glass for forensic applications was presented by Trejos. 288 The review contained 100 references and was split into sections covering μ-XRF and ICP-based methods including laser ablation (LA) as sample introduction. A useful table was presented detailing the advantages, disadvantages and abilities of numerous techniques and whether or not it is currently used for forensic analysis.…”