Forensic Science ||- Tox and Drug ID Exam Study Guide- University of Southern Mississippi

He classified poisons into six categories.

Mathieu Orfila

He stated all things are toxic; it is the dosage that matters.

Paracelsus

In 1814, Orfila stated a substance must be absorbed into the ______ to bring about its toxic effect.

Bloodstream

Use and abuse of marijuana dates back to ______ BC.

6,000 BC

The three branches of forensic chemistry.

Forensic toxicology, forensic drug chemistry, forensic trace chemistry

Toxicology definition.

Study of adverse effects of chemicals or drugs on living organisms

What is human performance toxicology?

Study of how drugs/alcohol affect behavior and performance (e.g., driving)

Human performance toxicology deals with cause and manner of death.

False

Example of a natural drug and a synthetic drug.

Natural: Opium / Marijuana

Synthetic: Methamphetamine / Fentanyl

Scientific name of marijuana plant.

Cannabis sativa

Legal status of marijuana in Mississippi:

Medical use is permitted

Scientific name of poppy plant.

Papaver somniferum

What is a drug?

Any substance producing a physiological or psychological effect

Define drug abuse.

Overuse or misuse of a drug leading to harm

Based on federal statute, possession of marijuana is:

Illegal

What are controlled substances?

Drugs restricted by law due to abuse potential

Four pieces of info on an evidence envelope:

Case number, date/time, collector's name, item description

Two types of addiction caused by controlled substances:

Physical and psychological dependence

He trained the first generation of U.S. forensic toxicologists.

Alexander Gettler (under Charles Norris)

The Controlled Substances Act was enacted in:

1970

Substances restricted by law are called:

Controlled substances

Drug abuse occurs in all socioeconomic levels.

True

40% of U.S. traffic deaths are ______ related.

Alcohol

Substance abuse leads to ______ and ______ dependence.

Physical and psychological

What is an anticoagulant?

A substance that prevents blood clotting

Process converting sugar to ethanol by yeast:

Fermentation

______ is the heavily abused OTC drug.

Cough syrup (dextromethorphan)

CH₃CH₂OH is:

Ethanol (alcohol)

______ is considered the first forensic toxicologist in the US.

Alexander Gettler

Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential with no medical value.

True

Separation by boiling points is called:

Fractional distillation

Ethanol is a CNS depressant.

True

Analysis of 10 items from 100 is a representative sample.

False

Screening tests confirm the presence of a drug.

False (they only indicate possible presence)

Drug causing more damage to others than user:

Alcohol

Two phases of chromatography:

Stationary phase and mobile phase

Stationary phase in GC:

Liquid-coated solid support inside the column

Mobile phase in GC:

Carrier gas (He, N₂, H₂)

Two uses of chromatography:

Separate mixtures; identify compounds

Info obtained from Gas Chromatograph:

Retention time and peak size/area

Info obtained from Mass Spectrometer:

Mass spectrum / fragmentation pattern

Time solute spends in GC column before detection:

Retention time

Differentiate: illegal vs. illicit

Illegal: Against the law to possess

Illicit: Legally made drug used improperly or obtained illegally

Drug identification uses two measures:

Specific chemical tests

Instrumental analysis (GC/MS)

Yeast produces up to ___% ethanol.

12-15%

Higher ethanol concentration achieved by:

Fractional distillation

Three most important postmortem toxicology samples:

Blood, urine, vitreous humor

Three things described in Controlled Substances Act:

Drug schedules

Regulation of manufacture/distribution

Penalties

Three characteristics used to classify federal drug schedules:

Abuse potential

Medical use

Dependence risk

Two key characteristics of Schedule I:

High abuse potential; no accepted medical use

Two key characteristics of Schedule II:

High abuse potential; accepted medical use with severe restrictions

Four routes of administration:

Oral

Inhalation

Injection

Transdermal

Fastest way into bloodstream:

Injection (intravenous)

Second fastest way:

Inhalation

Four factors affecting BAC:

Body weight

Gender

Rate of consumption

Food in stomach

Four major postmortem toxicology questions:

What drugs are present?

What are the concentrations?

Were levels toxic?

Did drugs contribute to death?

Five roles of forensic toxicologists:

Identify drugs

Quantify levels

Interpret results

Testify

Maintain chain of custody