Ch. 12 Forensic Toxicology Flashcards
alveoli
tiny sacs w/in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen & carbon dioxide takes place
anticoagulant
a chemical that inhibits the coagulation of blood
blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood
catalyst
a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction w/out being consumed during that reaction
DUI
driving under the influence of alcohol
DUID
driving under the influence of drugs
excretion
the act or process of discharging waste matter from the blood, tissues, or organs
fuel cell
a device that directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy through chemical reactions
metabolites
the metabolic breakdown products of drugs
oxidation
a chemical reaction in which oxygen is combined w/ other substances
retention time
the amount of time it takes a compound to be separated via a gas chromatography
vitreous humor
liquid inside the eye
vitreous humor
liquid inside the eye
Because there are so many possible poisons, the postmortem toxicological examination begins with a(n) ______ ______ of the deceased
case history
The _____, _____, and _____ are organs that should be collected for postmortem toxicological analysis.
brain, liver & kidney
If it is suspected that a poison was administered orally, the _____ should be analyzed first.
gastrointestinal (GI)
A positive immunoassay test leads to a confirmation test that is usually performed by ______.
GC-MS
Postmortem blood from the _______ has been found to contain higher concentrations of drugs than other parts of the body.
heart
Arsenic concentrates in the _____ of the person who was poisoned.
hair
The most widely abused drug in Western countries is ______.
alcohol
A BAC of 0.08% is equivalent to ______ grams of alcohol per 100mL of blood.
0.08
Is the field sobriety a presumptive or confirmatory test?
presumptive
Legislation that triggers sanctions at a certain BAC level is called “______” legislation.
per se
The laws that require motorists to undergo an alcohol breath test or face the loss of their driver’s licence are known as _____ ______ laws.
implied consent
Alcohol acts as a(n) ______ on the central nervous system.
depressant
Most of the alcohol a person drinks is absorbed into the bloodstream through the ____ ______.
stomach (20%) & small intestine (80%)
The higher the proportion of water in an organ, the ______ (higher/lower) the concentration of alcohol.
lower
Alcohol in the body is oxidized in this organ
liver
More than 90% of the ethyl alcohol that enters the body is completely oxidized to _______.
acetic acid
Alcohol that is not metabolized is excreted in the sweat, the urine, or the _______.
breath
If alcohol is taken on a full stomach, the rate at which the BAC increases is _____ (slower/higher) than when alcohol is taken on an empty stomach.
slower
Blood vessels called _____ carry blood away from the heart.
arteries
Blood vessels called _____ carry blood back to the heart.
veins
The distribution of alcohol between the blood and the air in the lungs can be determined by applying ______ law.
Henry’s
One milliliter of blood will contain the same amount of alcohol as ______ milliliters of expired breath.
2100
In the Breathalyzer, ethyl alcohol reacts with _______; this reaction is accompanied by a color change.
potassium dichromate
In the Breathalyzer, ______ ethyl alcohol molecules react w/ _____ potassium dichromate molecules.
3, 2
The silver nitrate that is present in the Breathalyzer solution is not written in the chemical equation because it is a(n) ______ in this reaction.
catalyst
The more alcohol present in the breath sample, the ______ (greater/smaller) the absorbance observed by the Intoxilyzer.
greater
The Intoxilyzer contains _______ filters, each of which allows only a narrow-wavelength band of IR to reach the detector.
IR
Common interferences in breath alcohol tests are ______, from fingernail polish, and ________, a common solvent in oil-based paints.
acetone; toluene
The reaction that takes place in the fuel cell of the Alcosensor converts ethyl alcohol to ________.
acetic acid
The most reliable method of determining BAC is by ______ ______.
bloody tests
