Chemical Element Levels as a Methodological Tool in Forensic Science

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to define a methodological strategy for understanding how post- mortem degradation in bones caused by the environment affects different skeletal parts and for selecting better preserved bone samples, employing rare earth elements (REEs) analysis and multivariate statistics. To test our methodological proposal the samples selected belong to adult and young individuals and were obtained from the Late Roman Necropolis of c/Virgen de la Misericordia located in Valencia city centre (Comunidad Valenciana, Spain). Therefore, a method for the determination of major elements, trace elements and REEs in bone remains has been developed employing Inductively-Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ICP- Mass Spectrometry (MS). Bone samples, mainly rib and femur, from seventy-four individuals have been studied. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to facilitate the interpretation of the taphonomic processes. A multivariate classification model employing Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA) was used to identify bones with less soil contamination.parameters show that diet profiles of a population could change depending on the type of bones analyzed. The proposed method could be useful in forensic science investigations to select better preserved samples in different scenarios.