
Raychelle Burks
Raychelle Burks is associate professor in chemistry at American University, Washington, DC, US
- Opinion
Catalysing the clean-up of methamphetamine
Closing a meth lab is just the first step towards making it safe
- Opinion
The toxic nature of yew, the tree of the dead
Historically associated with resurrection, yew is poisonous enough to kill
- Opinion
From the St Valentine’s Day Massacre to modern ballistics analysis
Computational methods are making firearm evidence more statistically sound
- Opinion
Mass spectrometry to catch Christmas tree thieves and timber traffickers
Forensic chemistry can help uncover pine pilfering and fiendish fir felling
- Opinion
Confusing cannabinoids
Decomposition during GC–MS analysis can thwart efforts to determine if a product is legal
- Podcast
Book club – Murder isn’t Easy by Carla Valentine
Delving into Agatha Christie’s pioneering forensic writing with special guests Raychelle Burks and Kathryn Harkup
- Opinion
Why eating a sleigh’s worth of candy canes is a bad idea
Like any compound, the festive flavour of peppermint can be harmful in high doses
- Opinion
The dead of aconite
Whether human, witch or werewolf, beware a flower known as the queen of poisons
- Opinion
Insulin as a murder weapon
Forensic experts can tell if high insulin levels have a natural or criminal cause
- Opinion
Stable isotopic analysis identifies unknown casualties of war
Humanitarian aid provided by forensic science
- Opinion
Identifying mineralised tissue in the fight against wildlife crime
Is it horn, antler, teeth, ivory… or artificial?
- Opinion
Ancient antidotes
Favourites of emperors and royalty, theriacs were the universal cures of their day
- Opinion
Poisons leave no mushroom for error
Will you enjoy a delicious treat, or endure excruciating agony?