Prospects of spectroscopy in forensic practice: a review

The article reviews the perspectives of spectroscopy in forensic practice. Spectroscopy is a pivotal analytical tool for the investigation of biological physical evidence. The primary focus of this study is on two major methods: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is based on the absorption and transmission of infrared radiation by the sample. This approach can be used to determine the molecular composition and chemical bonds in the sample. In contrast, Raman spectroscopy uses laser light scattering to analyze the molecular structure and chemical composition of samples. Both methods are highly precise, fast, and non-destructive, making them vital in forensic medicine. Successful applications of spectroscopy in forensic practice include the identification of various biological fluids such as blood, semen, and saliva. Consequently, Fourier infrared spectroscopy can differentiate between blood types, including peripheral and menstrual, detect specific molecules and determine their concentrations. Meanwhile, Raman spectroscopy has been successfully used to identify the blood of an adult and a newborn. The integration of spectroscopic methods with chemometric approaches and machine learning algorithms is a promising area. This integration facilitates the processing of large amounts of spectra, improves the analytical accuracy, and enables the identification of the test sample. These approaches have been shown to provide more accurate and reliable identification of causes of death and physical evidence. Consequently, the advanced spectroscopic methods offer fast, accurate and reliable tools for forensic examinations. These methods contribute to the advancement of interdisciplinary teamwork and the introduction of the latest technologies into practice, which leads to the improvement of the quality of forensic examinations and the solution of practical challenges.