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Showing posts from August, 2016

How to write a Forensic Case Study: Murder of Junko Furuta

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Photo of Junko Furuta  For one to score high marks in a Forensic Case Study, one must  adhere to the following: Background of the case: This section contains details about the crime. It includes; the reasons for committing the offense, the conditions which the crime was committed, the circumstances of the crime scene and clear identification of the suspect(s) and the victim(s). One should ensure that the information in this part gives a precise idea of what the case is all about.   Pick and Write an article on Iwriter Website Evidence: This encompasses the piece of evidence found at the crime scene. The evidence should be described in details, that is, ways in which the evidence was collected, processed and preserved.   Forensic Tests: The tests should be two or more that were used to analyze the evidence. The science or theory of instrumentation used must be described fully.   Results: This consists of a detailed explanation of the forensic tests and the data inter

Pipetting and Self-inflating Hydrogen Balloons

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A chemist set-up two conical flasks A and B and placed the balloon on the top of each flask to be self-inflated by hydrogen gas being produced during the reaction in the flasks.  In flask A, chemist reacted 5.10g Magnesium with 0.0447 moles of hydrochloric acid. In flask B, the scientist reacted 24.12 grams of Magnesium with 0.998 moles of hydrochloric acid. Which balloon will inflate the most? Explain your answers in details indicating all the calculations.       To answer this question, one must determine the amount of hydrogen gas produced in each flask. The calculations and conclusion are shown below: Flask A Molecular mass of magnesium= 24.30g/mol Given mass of magnesium = 5.10g Molecular mass of hydrogen gas= 2.02g/mol 5.10g Mg *(1mole/24.30g)*(1mole H 2 /1 mole Mg)*(2.02g H 2 / 1mole H 2 ) = 0.42 g H 2 Given HCl= 0.447 mol 0.447 mol HCl *(1 mol H 2 /2 mol HCl)*(2.02 g H2/1 mol H 2 ) = 0.45g H 2 Magnesium is a limiting reactant. 5.10g of Magnesium rea

Alcohol addiction: Why are some people are alcoholic than others?

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Alcohol abuse  is one of the biggest problems affecting people in the community. Its effects are evidenced in our families, workplaces, public, etc.  Alcohol has enslaved and reduced many people to undesirable conditions. Why are some people more addicted to alcohol than others? This article addresses the biochemical reasons to help you understand what you may become if you start drinking alcohol.  Recommendation :  Drug and Alcohol Rehab Resources The isozymes and genetics determine whether one will be an alcoholic or not. What are isozymes? Isozymes are enzymes that catalyze the same reaction though they migrate differently on the electrophoresis . Electrophoresis is a technique used to separate charged particles based on their charges and weight. The mechanism for the formation of the isozymes encompasses the arrangement of the subunits arising from two genetic loci (ADH 1 and ALDH 2) in various arrangements to form an active polymeric enzyme. The Alcohol de

Why thieves wear gloves? Chemistry of the Fingerprints

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Most criminals wear gloves during their illegal activities. What are the reasons behind this? Sometimes one may think they do not want to touch their victims with their bare hands. They are wearing gloves since they do not want their fingerprints to remain on the crime scenes. In this post, you will learn about fingerprints, types, locations of fingerprints, and the formation, of fingerprints and fingerprint processing and how the thieves can be identified by fingerprints at the crime scene. Fingerprint The fingerprint is the imprint left by the human finger friction ridges on object surfaces.  Fingerprints are essential in forensic science for the identification of a person at a crime scene. They are readily deposited on appropriate surfaces such as porous (paper, wood, and cloth) and non-porous (metals, plastic, polished stone surface and plastic) surfaces.  Fingerprints occur when secreted sweat from the eccrine glands existing on the finger epidermal ridges or blo

Fake tan (dihydroxyacetone) the killer in the next door!!!

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What is a fake tan, which is scientifically known as dihydroxyacetone? In one of my articles I described how fake tan could be synthesized from glucose, you can check it here FAKE TAN , but DHA applied in self-tanner are manufactured from the fermentation of glycerine in the presence of Acetobacter suboxydans . Dihydroxyacetone is a cosmetic product some people use to tan the appearance of their skin. When fake tan is applied on the body, it interacts with the amino acids thereby forming a permanent color on the skin. However, the color wears off within a week since the skin continuously shades off.  How the tanning (brown effect of dihydroxyacetone) was discovered? In the research published by C and EN  states that the brown effect of DHA was found at the University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital when Eva Wittgenstein was investigating the result of dihydroxyacetone large doses in children who were suffering from glycogen storage disease. It was reported that these child