Mystery Drug Chemist Report
1st Paragraph
Introduction (2-4 sentences)
2 pts
Description of the project, bag # and the 2 drugs that are in your bag.
2nd Paragraph
Physical Evidence (4-5 sentences)
6 pts
Physical observations (from the lens test) of your mystery drug sample
and your known two drugs. Build a case!
3rd Paragraph
Chemical Evidence (8-12 sentences)
12 pts
Chemical observations (from the pH, heat, acetic acid and iodine tests)
of your mystery drug sample and your known two drugs.
______________________________________________________________
SAMPLE - Mystery Drug Investigation Chemist Report
For this investigation, I was assigned mystery sample #623. After a series of physical and chemical tests, I believe that
the drugs in baggie #623 are Rotaran and Elexid.
For physical evidence, I used my observations from the lens test and compared known samples to my mystery drug. My
mystery drug contained both a powder and a crystal. The powder was yellowish-white and very fine grained, which is
exactly what I observed for Rotaran. I didn’t see the mystery drug clump like Rotaran though, so I created a mixture of
the two and compared it to my mystery drug and they looked and acted identical. The crystal in my mystery sample
contained large, clear and round crystals like Elexid.
For chemical evidence, I used my observations from the acetic acid test, heat test, pH test and Iodine test. During the
acetic acid test, my mystery sample powder dissolved but the crystal did not. I know Rotaran dissolved and made the
acid milky white during the acid test, and that Elexid did nothing and did not dissolve. Lixonin was the other clear
crystal, but I can rule that out because Lixonin dissolved in the acid. For the heat test, my mystery sample puffed up and
smoked, eventually catching on fire. This is what Rotaran did during my observations of the known samples. Again, I
know the crystal isn’t Lixonin because it melted and turned brown in the heat test. The pH test wasn’t very indicative of
anything for my mystery sample, but the Rotaran dissolved in the water and made it cloudy, just like in my observations
before. The pH strip didn’t change color in either of the experiments. Finally, when I added Iodine to the mystery
sample, it turned dark purple/black. This is what Rotaran did during the Iodine test. The Elexid turned dark orange and
didn’t dissolve into the Iodine, but I assume that the black color the Rotaran makes Iodine covered the color the Elexid
turns the Iodine since it’s darker.
This combination of physical and chemical evidence leads me to believe that the two substances in my mystery sample
are indeed Rotaran and Elexid.