Any unknown substance can be found in the course of an investigation. In these activities students will learn to identify poisons, gunshot residue and other substances using the methods developed for forensic investigations.
Glass and Plastic Identification: Students will use careful observation and measurements to determine the weight, volume and density of glass and plastic samples.
Ink Chromatography: Students will learn about dye and the color specturm while using solvents to determine which pen was used to write a note.
Poison Identification: Students will use MacSpartan sotware and the Internet to determine the chemical structure of an unknown poison and treatment protocol to get the patient back to health.
Powder Identification: Students will learn about chemical reactions and the scientific method while using household items to identify unknown white powders.
Vibrational Frequencies of Ethylene: Students will learn about forensic analysis through calculating frequencies of molecule vibration.