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  • Title: Use of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDXA) in identification of foreign material on bullets.
    Author: DiMaio VJ, Dana SE, Taylor WE, Ondrusek J.
    Journal: J Forensic Sci; 1987 Jan; 32(1):38-47. PubMed ID: 3819687.
    Abstract:
    The authors report two cases in which examination of foreign material embedded in or adherent to bullets provided critical information in the reconstruction of a crime scene. Analysis of small particles by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) can be accomplished without destruction or injury of the particles. In one case, the detection and identification of mineral fragments embedded near the nose of a bullet provided conclusive evidence that the bullet had ricocheted from a fireplace before striking the victim. In the second case, analysis of particles from two bullets identified them as them as bone fragments, thus proving which shots fired from a police officer's gun had killed a suspected burglar. SEM-EDXA has not been widely used to identify such material on bullets, but should be considered a potentially powerful tool in forensic science.
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