Crime Busters 2019 SSSS Practice Test

Student Name:_____________________________________________________________

School Name:_______________________________________________________________

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Background: The police were called to the Carbon Airport on May 17th after reports of a

suspicious item found at gate 4 at 4:24 pm. When they arrived on the scene, they discovered an explosive device consisting of a water bottle filled with superglue, a hodgepodge of exacto-blades, and balsa wood lying on an acrylic chair. Evidence was collected from the suspects and the surrounding area. It consisted of 16 total powders/liquids/metals, 2 fiber, 2 hair, 3 plastics, 3 fingerprints off the explosive, a handwritten label with the following: “For those who don’t take it seriously enough…” small blood splatters, and soil samples. There are 4 suspects as to who(m) might have made the contraption. You have 50 minutes to determine a conclusion as to the culprit based on the evidence provided. Pages 2-4 are for if you don’t have materials/don’t want hands on practice. The lab setup in the key should be given to a friend/mentor if you are in need/want of practice with materials. Page 5 is used in either case. Answers go on the answer sheet.

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Suspects:

Derrick Briwin: A TSA officer on duty when the bomb passed security. He claimed he was escorting a traveler interrogate in the time the bomb was placed. His coworkers describe him as volatile due to his complains about nature loving travelers who can’t bother to take their shoes off and take devices out of their bag. He also frequently confiscates water bottles and knives. Derrick is known to have a cat at home, and his TSA uniform is 100% cotton. The stress of the old job has resulted in the majority of his hair becoming grey. Robert Keeling: A physics professor with a flight to a conference regarding spatial disturbances. He said he was studying his papers before the meeting. His assistants describes him as a workaholic, frequently scolding students for not being careful with equipment. Robert typically works with pressure and electric principles, designing an intricate system with leftover pvc pipes, metal pots, and plastic utensils from the university kitchen remodeling. Due to the broken AC in his office, he often wears wool sweaters. When he does leave his office, he often gets lemonade. His hair is blonde. Jane Boron: Jane Boron is a biology teacher for Amber Middle School. She is frequently teased by her students for being too cautious due to an acclimation of possible threats over time, having an emergency kit with many health remedies. Her school requires its faculty to wear cotton polo shirts on all school days and events. Her classroom is typically trashed due to frequent eating of chips, cookies, and sugary gummies under the tables, as evidenced by the ziploc bags across her room. Jane’s dog is her only source of calmness, and shares her hair color of blonde. She said she was washing her hands before boarding the plane to minimize germs. Nancy Zhon: A health inspector for food preservative and additive factories, Nancy has become frustrated with the lack of proper conduct these days. Many companies have driven her crazy due to their lack of sanitation to the point where she brings her own cleaning supplies each in their own sauce cups. Her uniform is made out of polyester, fresh and clean everyday. Her hair color is black. She claimed she was working overtime on her computer at the time of the explosive placement.

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Qualitative Analysis

P4 comes from Derrick Briwin, L1 come froms Robert Keeling, Mix 2 comes from Nancy Zhon, P1 comes from Jane Boron. The rest are from the crime scene.

Powder 1 (P1) Physical: Powder, White-ish Solubility in H2O: Soluble pH: 6 HCL: No Reaction I2: Stains Blue/Black

Powder Mixture 3 (Mix 3) Physical: Tan Grains + White Powder Solubility in H2O: Non soluble pH: 6 HCl: No Reaction I2: Stains Yellow/Brown

Powder 2 (P2) Physical: White Powder Solubility in H2O: Soluble pH: 7 HCL: Fizzes I2: Stains Yellow/Brown

Liquid 1 (L1) pH: 6 I2 Reaction: None Translucency: Colorless + Clear Odor: None

Powder 3 (P3) Physical: Granular, White/Beige Solubility in H2O: Soluble pH: 2 HCL: No Reaction I2: Turns Clear

Liquid 2 (L2) pH: 2 I2 Reaction: None Translucency: Yellowish + Cloudy Odor: Citrus

Powder 4 (P4) Physical: Granular, White Solubility in H2O: Not Soluble pH: 8 HCL: No Reaction I2: Stains Yellow/Brown

Liquid 3 (L3) pH: 2 I2 Reaction: None Translucency: Colorless +Clear Odor: Sour

Powder 5 (P5) Physical: White Powder Solubility in H2O: Soluble, Fizzes pH: 8 HCL: Fizzes I2: Stains Yellow/Brown

Metal 1 (M1) Physical: Brown-Red, Shiny Luster Magnetism: None HCI: Turns Pink

Powder Mixture 1 (Mix 1) Physical: White Powder + White Irregular Grains Solubility in H2O: Soluble pH: 7-8 HCl: No Reaction

Metal 2 (M2) Physical: Gray, Dull Luster Magnetism: None HCI: Small Delayed Fizz

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I2: Stains Blue/Black

Powder Mixture 2 (Mix 2) Physical: White Powder + White Cubic Grains Solubility in H2O: Soluble pH: 7-8 HCl: Fizzes I2: Stains Yellow/Brown

Polymer Testing/Natural and Man-made Substances

Fiber Analysis: Fiber 1 (F1) Burn Test: Burning Hair Smell

Fiber 2 (F2) Burn Test: Melts

Hair Analysis: Hair 1 (H1)(Blonde)

Hair 2 (H2) (Brown)

Plastic Analysis Plastic 1 (PL1): Floats in Water: No Floats in 10% NaCl: No Flame Test: Yellow Plastic 2 (PL2): Floats in Water: No Floats in 10% NaCl: No Flame Test: Yellow, green spurts Plastic 3 (PL3):

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Floats in Water: No Floats in 10% NaCl: Yes Flame Test: Yellow

Paper Chromatography

From left to right: Crime Scene Note, Derrick Briwin, Robert Keeling, Jane Boron, Nancy Zhon

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Physical Evidence Fingerprints:

(Right Hand from L to R: Thumb, Index, Middle, Ring, Pinky

Left Hand from L to R: Pinky, Ring, Middle, Index, Thumb)

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Blood Splatters and Blood Type

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Soil Soil samples taken from suspects shoes.

Soil Composition Crime Scene Derrick Briwin Robert Keeling Jane Boron Nancy Zhon

Silicates 94.20% 93.78% 94.14% 95.17% 93.52%

Carbonates 1.47% 1.71% 1.45% 1.03% 1.47%

Halides 0.78% 0.87% 0.76% 0.78% 0.93%

Native Elements 0.94% 1.00% 0.97% 0.71% 1.05%

Oxides 1.11% 1.08% 1.13% 1.05% 1.26%

Sulfates 0.64% 0.64% 0.67% 0.65% 0.81%

Sufides 0.86% 0.92% 0.88% 0.61% 0.96%

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