Forensic Science Notes Guide

Name: Date: Period: Forensic Science Notes Guide Unit 5: Paint and Soil

Vocabulary: paint Paint Data Query electrocoat primer (automobile paint) hit and run primer surfacer (automobile paint) soil basecoat (automobile paint) mineral clearcoat (automobile paint) density pyrolysis gas chromotography x-ray diffraction spectrophotometry

1. The most common kind of paint analyzed forensically comes from what object? What kind of incident typically generates this evidence?

2. What are the 4 main layers of automotive paint? Briefly describe their purpose.

3. Color is the most distinctive characteristic of auto paint. What does a forensic examine observe and try to match when looking at point color?

4. What does it mean for paint components to be “pyrolyzed?”

5. What is the name of the automobile paint database? Who maintains it?

6. What type of evidence is paint? 7. What is soil? What kinds of things does it contain?

8. Where might investigators find soil evidence that could link person to a crime scene?

9. What 2 characteristics of soil are often analyzed by forensic investigators?

10. What is a mineral? What properties of minerals can we examine to determine where it came from?

11. How is soil evidence usually collected?