Illustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments

Chapter 31. Lab VII-4 Observation of Drug Microcrystalline Structures and Precipitation Reactions

Equipment and Materials

You’ll need the following items to complete this lab session. (The FK01 Forensic Science Kit for this book, available from http://www.thehomescientist.com, includes the items listed in the first group.)

Materials from Kit

• Goggles

• Centrifuge tubes, 15 mL

• Copper(II) sulfate solution

• Pipettes

• Polarizing filters

• Slides, deep well

• Slides, flat

• Sodium carbonate solution

• Test tube rack

• Specimen: acetaminophen

• Specimen: aspirin

• Specimen: caffeine

• Specimen: questioned (chromatography)

Materials you Provide

• Gloves

• Camera with microscope adapter (optional)

• Ethanol (see text)

• Hair dryer (optional)

• Microscope

• OTC drug specimen(s) (optional)

Warning

Although none ...