An Introduction to the Basics of Chemistry Forensic Investigation Ch 300
Jan 18, 2016
An Introduction to the Basics of Chemistry
Forensic InvestigationCh 300
protons (nucleus) – positively charged particles
neutrons (nucleus) – particles with no charge
electrons ( in orbit) – negatively charged particles
All matter is composed of atoms
The Atom
The Periodic Table
element – a substance that cannot be chemically broken down
atomic number – number of protons and electrons an element possesses
mass number – sum of protons and neutrons in a particular element
Compounds- a substance made up of two or more elements
H2O
CO2
O2
NH3
O
O O
O O
C
N
O
O O
CO O
N
N
18
44
32
17
Compounds
O O
N
Two types:
Organic Compounds – chemical compounds composed mostly of carbon and hydrogen (may contain N, O, S, P and other atoms as well)
All of the chemical compounds we will talk about in forensics this term will be organic compounds.
Inorganic Compounds – chemical compounds resulting from reactions of any and all the other elements on the periodic table
Of the 22 million compounds known to man, 20 million of them are organic.
Chemical Bonding
Two types:
Ionic Bonding – attraction between a positive atom (ion) and a negative atom (ion); many inorganic substances interact via ionic bonds
Covalent Bonding – where two atoms share electrons; organic compounds always share electrons to make bonds
Most of the chemicals we will talk about in forensics will involve covalent bonds!
Na + Cl_
O
Important Chemical Properties
Electronegativity – the degree to which atoms attract electrons (increases up and to the right on the periodic table)
fluorine, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, bromine - some of the most electronegative
Important Chemical Properties
Electronegativity within compounds leads to a concept called polarity.
Polarity is an imbalance in the position of electrons in a compound due to differing electronegativities of the individual atoms; the electrons are attracted to one side (top vs bottom, left vs right) of a compound more than the other.
The way they are drawn, which of the following compounds are polar?
O
CO O
N
Cwater
carbon dioxide
methane
ammonia
Important Chemical Properties
Polarity leads to a phenomenon known as intermolecular forces. Intermolecular (IM) forces are the forces that attract one molecule to another – an attraction between molecules.
There are three types of IM forces that we will consider in forensics:
a. Dipole-dipole
b. Hydrogen bond ( a type of dipole-dipole)
c. London forces
Polarity influences the way chemicals interact (their behavior) through IM forces.
Chemical Reactivity
There are two factors that affect the reactivity of a chemical compound (two, at least, that we will consider in this class):
a.shape of the molecule
b. the energy of the reactants vs the energy of the products in
a reaction
Reactants Products
Oklahoma City 1995