Chemistry governs how materials perform, fail, and interact with the surrounding environment. When a product injures a consumer, a fire leaves disputed residue, or product performance differs from expectations, the answers exist at the molecular level—and ESi’s team of chemistry experts knows how to find them.
ESi's chemical consulting practice combines advanced analytical instrumentation with deep forensic expertise, operating from laboratories across multiple U.S. locations. Chemists on the ESi team hold advanced degrees with specialties in analytical, inorganic, and organic chemistry, polymer science, materials science, and related disciplines. Capabilities span chromatography, spectroscopy, microscopy, trace element analysis, fire debris analysis, explosive residue identification, and DEA-certified controlled substance analysis, among others.
ESi is distinguished from independent testing laboratories by consultants’ capacity to carry findings through litigation and to design and carry out non-routine testing. In addition to uncovering data, ESi chemists interpret it, defend it under cross-examination, and present it to non-technical audiences without sacrificing scientific rigor. Every engagement is designed with the evidentiary standard in mind.
Meet Our Chemistry TeamChemistry Applications
The analytical methods required to answer chemistry chemical questions vary as much as the industries from which they emerge. ESi's chemistry team applies forensic and analytical expertise across the full range of matters where substance identification, composition analysis, or chemical behavior is at issue.
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Chemical analysis of fire debris, ignitable liquid residues, and explosive materials is central to determining origin, cause, and responsibility in fire and explosion cases. ESi chemists apply validated forensic methods to recover and identify chemical evidence that supports or refutes competing theories of ignition.
Product Failure Analysis
Products can fail because of formulation deficiencies, incompatible additives, adulteration, or manufacturing deviations that are not always visible without laboratory investigation. ESi identifies the chemical root cause of product failures and connects those findings to design, manufacturing, or supply chain decisions.
Controlled Substance Analysis
DEA-certified analytical capabilities allow ESi to support criminal defense, civil liability, and pharmaceutical contamination cases involving controlled substances and drug formulations. Findings are produced to evidentiary standards and defensible in federal and state proceedings.
Environmental Chemistry
Contamination events require precise substance identification and credible reconstruction of its movement through the environment. ESi chemists quantify contamination, assess exposure pathways, and provide the scientific basis for calculating damages and determining remediation.
Indoor Air Quality Investigations
Poor indoor air quality can stem from causes such as construction defects, chemical off-gassing, and mold byproducts. Health and liability implications vary depending on the compounds involved. ESi conducts air sampling, identifies chemical agents, and establishes whether concentrations are consistent with reported health effects.
Materials Identification & Microanalysis
Determining the precise composition of a material is often the first step in a failure or defect investigation. ESi uses spectroscopy, chromatography, and elemental analysis to characterize materials, revealing how and why a component reached the end of its service life.
Coatings, Adhesives & Construction Materials
Coating failures, adhesive bond breakdowns, and defective construction chemistry can cause property damage and generate disputes about specification compliance and product liability. ESi evaluates chemical composition, application, and performance against industry standards to establish the cause of material failure.
Intellectual Property Disputes
Polymer deformulation, proprietary formulation analysis, and composition mapping allow ESi to support intellectual property litigation by identifying whether a competitor's product replicates a protected formulation or process. Findings are structured to withstand technical scrutiny in arbitration or court.
Molecular-level analysis for complex chemical investigations
Contact our Chemistry Team
Jason R. Babcock, Director, Senior Managing Consultant
ESi Chemistry Capabilities
- Product Formulation
- Experiment Design
- Chromatography
- Microscopy
- Spectroscopy
- Trace Element Analysis
- Plastic Additive Analysis
- Defect Analysis
- Chemical Compatibility Studies
- Product Labeling Validation
- Paints, Coatings, and Surfactants
- Toxin Release
- Air Sampling
- Heavy Metals Analysis
- Chemistry of Construction Materials
- Explosive Residue Analysis
- Fire Debris Analysis
- Battery Materials
Industries Served
Elemental questions demand evidence-based answers. ESi's chemistry consulting team is ready to respond.
Why Clients Choose ESi
Chemical investigations with legal consequence require scientists who can stand behind their findings in deposition, at trial, and before opposing technical experts. ESi's chemistry consultants are retained when the standard of proof is high and the analytical work needs to hold up under scrutiny.
Doctoral-Level Analytical Expertise
ESi chemists hold PhDs with specialties in analytical, inorganic, and organic chemistry, polymer science, and materials science. Engagements are staffed by scientists who understand the subject matter at its foundation.
DEA-Certified Capabilities for Sensitive Matters
ESi maintains DEA certification and applies validated forensic protocols to findings that must survive scrutiny in federal and state proceedings for cases involving controlled substances and pharmaceutical contamination.
Findings That Hold Up Under Scrutiny
ESi chemists serve as expert witnesses to present and defend findings in deposition or at trial, with a track record of supporting successful case outcomes in civil and criminal matters.
Custom Experiment Design
Not every investigation fits a standard test protocol. ESi designs purpose-built experiments to address novel chemical questions, whether that means simulating in-use conditions, replicating failure scenarios, or developing new analytical methods.
Nationwide Laboratory Network with Multi-Disciplinary Access
ESi operates laboratories across multiple U.S. locations and can draw on specialists in chemical engineering, failure analysis, fire investigation, and materials science within the same firm for complex cases.
Single Point of Contact
Clients working with ESi on a chemistry engagement have one relationship with a senior consultant who manages the analytical work, coordinates with other ESi practice areas, and delivers findings in a suitable format.
