IDENTIFICATION OF SIMULATED DRUGS
Often a criminal investigator discovers at a crime scene various unknown substances such as
liquids and powders. These substances may be very important evidence in the investigation
of a crime, since they may be prescription drugs, illegal drugs or poisons. In this exercise
you will be testing six white powders for various identifying characteristics.
The powders you will use are all common harmless household or laboratory chemicals but they
are used to simulate drugs that might be part of a criminal investigation.
Working in groups of two or three, you will begin by doing six observations and tests on each of
the simulated drug powders, recording the results in the data chart. This will give you a
database to which you can compare an unknown substance. You will then receive an
unknown substance “found at the crime scene.” This substance may be one of the white
powders or it might be a mixture of two or more of the powders. Your task will be to
determine which of the six powders (“drugs”) is contained in the unknown.
Do not taste any of the substances and be sure to wash your hands after
handling them.
PROCEDURE:
Part A: Perform the following tests on each of the six powders.
1. Place a very small amount of each powder on a microscope slide and observe the particles
under 100X. In the data table (Figure 1), sketch and describe the powder.
2. Obtain a square of aluminum foil and place a very small amount of each powder on it. Being
careful not to burn yourself, heat the powders on the hotplate. Record your observations in
the data table. Dispose of the foil and powders in the waste basket.
3. Obtain a spot plate. Place a very small amount of each powder into the corresponding row of
wells on the spot plate.
4. Add three drops of Reagent 1 to each powder in the column labeled R-1 to see if the powder
dissolves in the reagent. Record any reactions in your data table.
5. Add three drops of Reagent 2 to each powder in the column labeled R-2. Record any
reactions in your data table.
6. Add three drops of Reagent 3 to each powder in the column labeled R-3. Record any reactions
in your data table.
7. Add three drops of Reagent 4 to each powder in the column labeled R-4. Record any reactions
in your data table.
8. Take the spot plate over to the sink and clean the spot plate out. Be sure to remove all
precipitate from the bottom of the wells.
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Name: ________________________________
Figure 1: Identification Characteristics of Simulated Drugs – Summary Table
WHITE POWDER
Microscopic
Observation
Heat
1. AMOXICONTIN
2. BICYCLIN
3. DARNITOL
4. PHASTAXIN
5. PLEZUROL
6. PORITON
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TEST
Reagent Reagent
1
2
Reagent
3
Reagent
4
Part B: Identification of the First Unknown
1. Obtain an unknown white powder. The unknown represents a white powder found at a crime
scene and it consists of one or more of the powders you tested in Part A.
2. Record the code number of the unknown on your data chart (Figure 2).
3. On your unknown, perform each of the tests that you did in Part A. Record observations in
Figure 2.
4. Identify the substance(s) in your unknown.
Figure 2: Test Results on Unknown White Powder
UNKNOWN LETTER
TEST
RESULT
Microscopic Observation
Heat
Reagent 1
Reagent 2
Reagent 3
Reagent 4
IDENTIFICATION
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Part C: Identification of the Second Unknown
1. Obtain a second unknown white powder. The unknown represents a white powder found at a
crime scene and it consists of one or more of the powders you tested in Part A.
2. Record the code number of the unknown on your data chart (Figure 3).
3. On your unknown, perform each of the tests that you did in Part A. Record observations in
Figure 3.
4. Identify the substance(s) in your unknown.
Figure 3: Test Results on Unknown White Powder
UNKNOWN LETTER
TEST
RESULT
Microscopic Observation
Heat
Reagent 1
Reagent 2
Reagent 3
Reagent 4
IDENTIFICATION
QUESTIONS
1. How did you determine what was in your mystery powder? Be specific.
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2. Describe a specific way that each of the six simulated drugs could be identified.
3. Why was Part A of this investigation important?
4. Why must forensic investigators be very careful when picking up powders at a crime
scene?
5. Explain how the types of tests you did in this lab might be used by a forensic chemist or
toxicologist to analyze evidence from a crime scene or from a person’s blood or tissues.
Adapted from The Forensic Science Project <http://www.schoolnet.ca/vp-pv/fscience/e/intro.htm>
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