Official Forensics Lab report

Hello there. This is our MURDER LAB REPORT; the full story will be released sooner than later, but we figured that we would give the OFFICIAL lab report, so here we are.

Who did it?

A forensics lab

Yesterday at 3 AM, at Mike's Awesome Bakery in Francestown, NH the baker arrived to find his assistant baker dead: lying in a pool of blood.  The victim's body was covered in a white powder.  

In an attempt to find the source of the white powder, investigators collect multiple samples from the bakery (baking soda, flour, baking powder, powdered milk, cornstarch).

Investigators are in the process of interviewing employees of the bakery to narrow their field of suspects.  They are also gathering clothing samples from employees to find a match for the white powder.

The investigators need your help.  They need you to write a lab procedure to help them identify the powder covering the body.

MATERIALS AT YOUR DISPOSAL

- baking soda

- baking powder

- flour

- cornstarch

- vinegar

- iodine solution

- universal indicator

- water

- lab materials (beakers, stirrers, pipettes, etc.)

Objective: To identify the mystery substance.

Procedure

1. Collect resources(see materials list)
2. Test reactive properties of baking soda with each of the three liquids and record results
3. Test reactive properties of baking powder with each of the three liquids and record results
4. Test reactive properties of flour with each of three liquids and record results
5. Test cornstarch with each of the three liquids and record results
6. Test mystery substance with each of three liquids and record results
7. Compare mystery substance reactions with the other four substances
8. based on how similar the data is shown, make an inference that the substance that shares reactive properties with the mystery substance is in fact the same substance.
9. Interview suspects, if it is a round building, the suspect who says they were dusting corners is the murderer, if no such case happens, ask them what kind of things they make and work off of that.

Analysis:

Test Solutions	Baking Soda	Baking Powder	Flour	Cornstarch	Unknown
Water	Absorbed Immediately; no reaction	Fizzed Lightly	No reaction; water stayed on top	absorbed	fizzed slightly
Vinegar	fizzed	fizzed	no reaction; Vin. stayed on top	slowly absorbed	fizzed
Iodine	became gelatinous	fizzy and purple	Turned purple; absorbed immediately	turned purple; stayed on top	Fizzed and turned purple
Indicator	turned blue	turned orange	turned orange; gelatinous	slowly absorbed, turned orange	turned orange

Conclusion:

What powder should the investigators be looking for when they examine the suspects clothing.  How do you know?  How confident are you in your results and why?

Well other than looking for the obvious signs, like BLOOD *coughs the forensic specialists should look for trace amounts of baking powder on the suspects skin, assuming that the murderer changed clothes and or showered, also look for traces of smoke as the suspect may have burned the bloody clothing. also the butcher might be a good suspect as his business has recently dwindled after the bakery opened.