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Forensic Students Test Unknown Substances

Posted on: March 13, 2020
Tags: River high school, Career development

During their toxicology unit, River High School forensic students conducted a lab where they were required to discover if an unknown white powder was cocaine. They received 8 samples and had to conduct a series of tests to attempt to discover the identity of the unknown white powder. Being able to conduct tests like these is important for being able to eliminate potential identities of an unknown substance. 

Students were also required to conduct presumptive color spot tests on urine samples, which is where a portion of an unknown powder is combined with a chemical reagent. The color change that may or may not happen by the combination is a presumptive indication of what the substance could be. 

Don’t worry – your students weren’t working with real urine or cocaine. Both of these things were simulated for a “real-world” experience activity.