The chemistry of death – Adipocere degradation in modern graveyards

Highlights • Exhumation reveals black material on top of adipocere in reducing soil. • Black material results from the direct degradation of adipocere. • Adipocere can be degraded under poikiloaerobic conditions over short periods. • Adipocere degradation occurs by way of aerobic as well as chemical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic science international 2015-12, Vol.257, p.320-328
Main Authors: Fiedler, S, Berns, A.E, Schwark, L, Woelk, A.T, Graw, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipocere
Aliphatic compounds
Burial
Carbohydrates - analysis
Cemeteries
Coffins
Decomposition
Degradation
Exhumation
Fatty acid analysis
Fatty acids
Fatty Acids - analysis
Forensic sciences
Grave soil
Humans
In situ decomposition
Investigations
Iron
Lipids
Lipids - analysis
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Pathology
Postmortem Changes
Soil (material)
Soil - chemistry
Solid-state NMR
Spectra
Triglycerides
Wool
Worms
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Summary:Highlights • Exhumation reveals black material on top of adipocere in reducing soil. • Black material results from the direct degradation of adipocere. • Adipocere can be degraded under poikiloaerobic conditions over short periods. • Adipocere degradation occurs by way of aerobic as well as chemical pathways.
ISSN:0379-0738
1872-6283
DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.09.010