Binky
05-23-2005, 12:24 PM
By: Marcie Fraser
When there's a crime, drugs are often close by. When they're found, it's up to forensic scientists at the New York State Forensic Drug Chemistry Unit in Albany to analyze them.
Forensic scientist Dr. Naomi O'Neil said, "Marijuana, cocaine and heroine and illicit drugs, manufactured tablets, and they come for all over the state."
Dr. O'Neil analyzes drug evidence. First the drugs are weighed. And to determine what drug it is, she does a color test. She mixes the powder, thought to be heroin, with a solution. It turns purple and indicates it may be heroin. But to be sure, more tests need to be done, like the thin layer chromatography. To see if other drugs are present, a solvent is added to the powder and drops are placed on a plate and then into a beaker. A visual dye helps confirm it is heroine.
For DWI and DWAI cases involving drugs and alcohol, it's up to the Toxicology Unit.
Jennifer Lemoges said, "The immunoassay test is going to screen blood or urine. For urine we are going to look at classes of drugs like opiates or cannabinoids or amines."
If you're involved in a traffic accident, finding drugs or alcohol in your system could lead to your arrest.
This immunoassay analyzer screens samples to see if other drugs are present. A solid phase extraction isolates the drugs from the sample. A centrifuge is one step in the separation.
Just a few drops of isolated pure drug are what is left after extraction is complete. It takes only one drop placed in an instrument to generate a chemistry profile.
A Mas Spectrometer instrument shows what drugs are found and how much. When testing blood for alcohol content, the samples are put into a diluter and placed into the head space gas chromatograph.
Lemogues said, "It can also differentiate or separates other types of alcohol like rubbing alcohol or methanol."
This unit analyzes 150 cases a month, 30 percent of which are DWIs.
http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=132245&SecID=33
When there's a crime, drugs are often close by. When they're found, it's up to forensic scientists at the New York State Forensic Drug Chemistry Unit in Albany to analyze them.
Forensic scientist Dr. Naomi O'Neil said, "Marijuana, cocaine and heroine and illicit drugs, manufactured tablets, and they come for all over the state."
Dr. O'Neil analyzes drug evidence. First the drugs are weighed. And to determine what drug it is, she does a color test. She mixes the powder, thought to be heroin, with a solution. It turns purple and indicates it may be heroin. But to be sure, more tests need to be done, like the thin layer chromatography. To see if other drugs are present, a solvent is added to the powder and drops are placed on a plate and then into a beaker. A visual dye helps confirm it is heroine.
For DWI and DWAI cases involving drugs and alcohol, it's up to the Toxicology Unit.
Jennifer Lemoges said, "The immunoassay test is going to screen blood or urine. For urine we are going to look at classes of drugs like opiates or cannabinoids or amines."
If you're involved in a traffic accident, finding drugs or alcohol in your system could lead to your arrest.
This immunoassay analyzer screens samples to see if other drugs are present. A solid phase extraction isolates the drugs from the sample. A centrifuge is one step in the separation.
Just a few drops of isolated pure drug are what is left after extraction is complete. It takes only one drop placed in an instrument to generate a chemistry profile.
A Mas Spectrometer instrument shows what drugs are found and how much. When testing blood for alcohol content, the samples are put into a diluter and placed into the head space gas chromatograph.
Lemogues said, "It can also differentiate or separates other types of alcohol like rubbing alcohol or methanol."
This unit analyzes 150 cases a month, 30 percent of which are DWIs.
http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=132245&SecID=33