Chemical Practical Technique

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P2 And M3 Chemical Practical technique P2 One of the chemical practical techniques I used was paper chromatography. Chromatography is a method for analyzing complex mixtures (such as ink) by separating them into the chemicals from which they are made. Chromatography is used to separate and identify all sorts of substances in police work. Drugs from narcotics to aspirin can be identified in urine and blood samples, often with the aid of chromatography. The Method I used was the following: 1. Cut several coffee filters into long strips, one strip per pen. 2. Fold the end of each strip over then staple it to form a loop. 3. Place a dot of ink near the bottom of each strip. Use a pencil to identify which strip belongs to which pen. 4. Poke a pencil through one of the loops you just made. Use the pencil to suspend the strip in a small glass or container. 5. Carefully add water to the glass until it reaches the bottom of the paper strip just below the ink dot. Be sure the ink stays above the water and the paper stays in the water. 6. Allow the water to soak up the strip and watch what happens to the ink drop. 7. If the ink you are testing does not spread out, re-test it using rubbing alcohol. 8. Repeat this process for each strip and compare your results. 9. Let the strips dry and tape them on a sheet of paper as a record of the different pen types. M3 Conclusion From looking at the results I obtained from the chromatography tests, I can tell the pen found was the pen used to write the suicide note. The test on the pen and the suicide note both matched indicating it was the same pen used. However this on its own is not conclusive evidence to indicate it was suicide the pen and suicide not should be both analysed for fingerprints so the person who wrote the document and used the pen can be

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