ABSTRACT
Drug chemists are responsible for the analysis of unknown substances recovered from a crime scene to determine whether they contain a controlled substance or drug. When unknown, potentially illegal substances are recovered from scenes, the drug analysis unit at a crime laboratory is responsible for determining how much of the substance is present, what the substance is, and possibly the purity and/or form of the substance. Typically the first step in the analysis is to obtain an Gas chromatography mass spectrometer. iStockphoto https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315721811/276059fb-2575-4c03-9ea9-45b53f7837af/content/fig0141_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> accurate weight of the sample separate from whatever packaging the substance arrived in. The next step would be a color test to guide the analyst and then finally some type of instrumentation to confirm the substance. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a valuable tool for separating out the different parts in a mixture, such as an actual drug and a cutting agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) can be used to determine the form of the drug [cocaine base (crack) or cocaine hydrochloride].
