International Tables for Crystallography

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Forensic applications of X-ray powder diffraction
D. F. Rendle. International Tables for Crystallography (2019). Vol. H, ch. 7.2, pp. 737-751  [ doi:10.1107/97809553602060000976 ]

Abstract

X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) has been used for materials identification in forensic science for almost 70 years. Its versatility, in that it may be used for the analysis of all crystalline and partially crystalline solids, whether they be organic, inorganic or metallic, or mixtures thereof, renders it invaluable as a method of forensic specimen analysis. Equally, the non-destructive nature of the technique means that the specimen (which constitutes evidence) is preserved, not just for legal expediency, but so that it may be further analysed by complementary methods. Forensic specimens can range in size from minute traces, to relatively large seizures of contraband material at international airports and seaports. XRPD may be called upon to analyse these specimens and also occasionally to detect and analyse materials in situ concealed in baggage at ports of entry. This article describes the analysis of a variety of forensic specimens by XRPD, the choice of instrumentation, methods of specimen preparation, the interpretation of analytical results using powder-diffraction-pattern databases and the creation of analytical data archives for statistical purposes.

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About International Tables for Crystallography

International Tables for Crystallography is the definitive resource and reference work for crystallography. The multi-volume series comprises articles and tables of data relevant to crystallographic research and to applications of crystallographic methods in all sciences concerned with the structure and properties of materials.