NATS 1575 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Electromagnetic Spectrum, Boiling Point, Forensic Science
2 Feb 2017
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Week 3: properties of matter and the analysis of glass. The forensic scientist must constantly determine the properties that impart distinguishing characteristics to matter, giving it a unique identity. Physical properties: a property that describes the behavior of a substance without any reference to any other substance. For example, weight, color, boiling point, volume and melting point are typical physical properties that can be measured for a particular substance without altering the materials composition with a chemical reaction. Chemical properties: a property that describes the behavior of a substance when it combines with another substance. For example, when wood burns, it chemically combines with oxygen in the air to form new substances: this transformation describes the chemical property of wood. Which physical and chemical properties the forensic scientist ultimately chooses to observe and measure depends on the type of material that is being examined.
