GUNSHOT RESIDUES (GSR)

Gunshot Residues and their Characterization

Gunshot Residues and their Characterization

Introduction

There are several concepts, ideas and theories in Science and technology that may seem irrelevant and of no use in the day to day life. There are also various objects, chemicals or compounds whose uses may not have been discovered or identified properly. However, once defined, the field or the subject may play an important role in several other aspects and disciplines. One of such concept or subject is the Gunshot residues. Although, many individuals might not have been familiar even with not just the uses it can serve but also the very definition of it. However, the gunshot residue is a very essential element in the fields of criminology and criminal investigation. Therefore, various chemists and forensics in current performs a number of experiments and laboratorial tests in order to find various further applications of the gunshot residues in the fields of forensics, chemistry and criminology. Moreover, many researchers are also on the constant look out to find various effective techniques in order to achieve better and affective usage of these gunshot residues.

Discussion

Hence, because of the importance and significance of the benefits and applications it offers, it is very essential that further research is conducted on the subject. The concept of Gunshot residues however is amazingly simple.

Definition

Gunshot Residue can simply be defined as a substance or material left behind in the form of a powdery element when a firearm is discharged. A gunshot residue therefore is said to be composed of various other elements that include the propellant, unburnt and burnt particles from the explosive primer, and also the components from the cartridge case, the bullet and firearm used (Wolten, et all, 1979, pp. 413).

Applications

In the fields, of criminology, gunshot residue can be helpful in linking the culprit to the firearm and therefore identifying the shooter or the culprit. The distance travelled by these residues also helps in determining several other details about the shooter.

Background

It was in the year 1971 a few traces of GSR particles were discovered while the testing of bullet entrance holes by John Boehm. A scanning electron microscope was used for the process. Various numbers of chemical elements present and can be identified in such particles, are mainly antimony, lead and barium, if used a scanning electron microscope equipped with the technology of an X-ray spectroscopy detector working on energy dispersion principles (Wolten, et all, 1980, pp.535)

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Scanning electron microscope With X-ray Spectroscopy Detector

A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) can simply be defined as a special form of electron microscope that uses an electron beam to serve the purpose of producing images of the required sample. Where as an Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy is an analytical technique that involves the usage of any X-Ray excitation source. The basic aim to be achieved by this technique is the chemical characterization of any sample and also for the elemental analysis of various compounds or samples.

Characterization Elements

It was in ten year 1979, when ...