Australia's Science Forum

Our Chemistry teacher has decided after 10 years of doing the Shipwreck elective she will change for this Year 12 and do the Forensic elective.
I welcome the change as I have had enough of rusting nails in every available liquid
I know this will involve electrophoresis but have no idea what other pracs are involved and whether there is new equipment and chemicals that I need to source. I do have until 3rd term next year but wanted to have the wish list ready for the beginning of the year and purchase stuff whilst we have money available.
Can anyone give me an idea of pracs involved.
Thanks

Well, here's some they might do:
-Fingerprints. Needs iodine crystals and superglue, ink pads and brushes for talc and graphite powder.
-Sulfate content of fertiliser. Just need some fertiliser.
-Fibre/hair observation. Just collect some scrap fabric and animal hair.
-The electrophoresis of DNA is the big one, we usually get the kits from Southern Biological but other companies do them too, such as Bio-Rad.

Sulfate prac is not a forensics prac.

No, sulfate prac is in industrial chemistry

Sorry, it is in chemical monitoring and management

only 5 mandatory pracs
Carbohydrate tests
organic tests
atomic spectra
chromatography
protein test

Hmm, yes thinking about it the fertiliser one doesn't quite fit forensics, but I found the prac information in our forensics folder for Chemistry, and from what I recall the teacher did that prac during that topic. Oh well.

If you removed a body from a plant nursery to a dump site in a built up area then the the fertiliser test would help identify possible place of death. It was just a thought.

To much CSI me thinks!!

FOr electrophoresis you can hire the equipment - search internet. Our HOD made his own set using perspex and plastic, and the banana plugs and leads we all use.
If you contact Optimum Technology see internet they have great resources for forensics in schools

We make our own electrophoresis prac stuff. Nothing expensive: just need some agar to make the gel; a clear take away container to set gel in; food colouring; couple of graphite rods, shaped to fit together in a sort of cross with a rubber band; salt for the electrolyte solution; aligator clip leads, which we use everday; and a transformer.