Summary Summery Forensic Chemistry

FORENSIC CHEMISTRY
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION TO CLANDESTINE SYNTHESIS (CS)
- GOAL: Where are the compounds fromed.
 Apply selected chemistry and textbook knowledge related to the synthesis
of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and similar molecules to develop
and explain intermediates, enabling the interpretation of information from
crime scenes and GC-MS analysis of trace evidence from illegal
laboratories.

Why do people use drugs
- They get addicted  deal with life, relieve mental pain, feeling happy, suppress
thoughts.
- They cannot resist it, like to experiment, start small.
- Also to commit a crime (eg rape someone).
- Making drugs  to make a profit.

Forensic chemistry
- Chemistry and law
- More than applied analytical chemistry
 Several perceptions, analysis.
 Identification, classification, common source.
- Difference with forensic toxicology

Drugs structures
- Basic structure of drugs is an aromatic ring (benzene ring) and a amine group.
- This because our brain is designed of working with this structure, and your brain
will react differently to the different side groups.

Criminal chain
 Scientist who talks in a public place  criminals write the information down 
they produce the drugs.

Laboratory methamphetamine
- Can be everywhere.
- Super lab (80%).
 Large highly organized laboratory.
 Produce large volume (5 – 8 kg).
- Mom and pop; Beavis and Butthead labs.
 Small-scale laboratory, primitive.
 Low volumes for themselves.
 More explosions and fires.
- Dirt labs
 Small scale lab cook.
 Extract drugs from waste dumps of super lab, so low quality drugs.

Workers
- Brilliant chemist  from internet knowledge for preparing compound is
downloaded, a procedure is put together but the chemist does not do the work.

, - Workers (lab cooks)  not educated In chemistry, doesn’t know what he’s doing,
carries out procedure, does it for money, low-income people, Beavis and Butthead
personality.

Harm caused
- Physical injuries  explosions, fires, chemical burns, toxic fumes.
- Environmental hazards  per kg, 6 kg waste  waste burned or dumped into
nature  drain, household or commercial trash.
- Child endangerment  children from lab cooks are exposed and get addicted
without a choice. Clothes are contaminated.

More meth labs
- More interest, easy access to chemicals, meth is addictive, instructions on the
internet.
- Low quality product so devastating effects on body.

Get the chemicals
- Steal the chemicals.
- Smuggling across international borders.
- Labeling chemicals fraudulently.
- Bribing or coercing government officials, chemical manufacturers and distributors
or deliverers.
- Creating complex transaction chains that make it difficult to track chemicals.
- Buying the chemicals from legitimate chemical suppliers who, for various
reasons, sell indiscriminately. (at gamma one person buys 4 liters other buys 4
liters at different shop)
- Buying chemicals through undocumented cash transactions.
- Converting similar, unregulated chemicals into the desired, regulated chemicals.
- Storing chemicals in warehouses long enough for police and regulators to give up
trying to track them.
- Trading in amounts just below the thresholds that trigger reporting and
recordkeeping requirements (knows to regulators as “smurfing”)

Dumping waste
- Everywhere, driving with the bus through domestic place.
- Take samples for evidence.
- Analyze chemicals.
- Neutralize chemicals, avoid explosions of contamination of environment.

METH

, Birch ‘nazi’ method synthesis
- 53% of all seized meth labs used the ‘nazi’ method.
- Pseudoephedrine or ephedrine as precursor.
- Mixed with liquid anhydrous ammonia.
 Theft: tanks.
 Prepared from fertilizers.
- Lithium is added
 From batteries.
 Blue color fades.
- Blue color persist: reaction is complete.

Liquid Ammonia
- NH3: boiling point is -34°C.
- Mixed with air it becomes explosive.
- Home made from fertilizer put into sodium hydroxide. Ammonia evaporates as
gas.
- Gas cooled down with acetone / dryice (-100°C)
 Criminals buy all legal products to make this.

↗ + NO 3- (aq) + Na+ (aq)
NH4NO3 + NaOH  NH3 (g) + H2O (l)
↘ Cool below -34°C becomes NH 3 (l)

- Cooks steal liquid ammonia from:
 Tanks for agricultural fertilizers.
 Yards or refrigerant supply firms.
- Common propane tanks is used for transport:
 Tank corrode and turn blue-green.
 Ammonia eats at the valves from inside tank.
 Eventually a blowout of cold gas.
- Severe burns or even death.

Lithium
 Is obtained from batteries.
- When dissolves in ammonia it gives a brilliant blue color.
- Blue color comes from solvation of electrons  electron is transported to the
liquid.