Forensic chemistry is the application of chemistry and forensic toxicology is a subfield in a legal setting. Forensic chemists can assist the identification of unknown materials which were found at the crime scene. Specialists have a wide array of methods and instruments to help identify unknown substances. Forensic chemists prefer using nondestructive methods first; to preserve evidence and to determine which destructive methods will produce the best results. To ensure the accuracy of what they are reporting, forensic chemists frequently check and verify that their instruments are working correctly and are still able to detect and measure various quantities of different substances.
