Crime Chemistry






ACS Webinar: Resources for National Chemistry Week





Celebrating National Chemistry Week




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Murder Mysteries at Thomas Armstrong Toro HS

During the month of March, members of the ChemClub in our school, Thomas Armstrong Toro High School, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, arranged a school-wide activity that involved solving four completely different and intriguing make-believe murders. However, these crime scenes were no ordinary ones. No, our ChemClub members took it into their own hands to involve as much chemistry in the activity as possible.

Members of the club creating the activity left clues at each crime scene involving different aspects of chemistry, from decoding messages with the periodic table to having to analyze evidence. The Club focused primarily on using different methods of crime scene investigation and employed mainly fingerprint and ink chromatography methods to solve the mysteries. Before the whole activity took place, the president of our ChemClub, along with a few other members, led a series of classes discussing these same topics and the science behind them.

During the day of the activity, many students, both members and non-members, participated.  They investigated the four crime scenes arranged by the ChemClub. Each crime scene took place in a different corner of our basketball court. In the middle of the gym we placed two sets of tables, one for handing in all evidence after analysis, and another for doing experiments involving the evidence. At the experiment table members of the ChemClub guided students  through ink chromatography and finger printing techniques using graphite. Students of all grades were involved, working in groups of two to four.

The activity was a huge success. The so-called murderers were caught, even though they had managed to haze students by the dozen. From periodic tables to observing ink color chromatographs, the ChemClub in our school conducted a grand activity this month, which was both entertaining and educational. And in the end, justice prevailed!