The infusion of green chemistry within forensic science is a relatively new field. The principles of green chemistry can be applied to chemical spot tests, an established forensic tool. These colorimetric tests are commonly used to presumptively identify illicit substances found at a crime scene. Two examples of these spot tests are the nitric acid test, which uses concentrated nitric acid and the Marquis test, which uses concentrated sulfuric acid, formaldehyde, and in some procedures, acetic acid. One approach to make a method greener is to lessen the amount of a substance used. To address the concern of using harsh acids, this research examines the effects of lower concentrations of nitric acid and sulfuric acid on each test. The reagents will be tested on 2-chloroacetophenone (mace). The mace was chosen due to comparable activity with the tests and expense. The acid component of each test will be evaluated at varying concentrations ranging from the most concentrated to as low as a color change is observed. The mace will then be dissolved in ethanol as opposed to ethyl ether, benzene, and acetone due to the lessened harshness when reacting with nitric acid, in order to be tested at varying concentrations to see how it affects the color change observed.

Application of green chemistry methods to select forensic spot tests

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.