Cocaine Test Lab Report

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To identify a white powder that is containing at least 80% of purity of Cocaine, a forensic drug chemist would utilize some of the following techniques such as the Color test, Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GS/MS), Microcrystalline test, Chromatography test combined. This may seem like a large amount of tests to perform at once to identify the white powder and the percentage of purity. This process works for the forensic scientists that need to analyze the powder to the best of their ability. A Forensic Scientist cannot complete only one test to identify the cocaine’s purity but with conducting a series of tests it can result in a qualitative and quantitative analysis. The color and GS/MS test are utilized to identify the white powder. Why should they use two of the basically same tests? This is done to back up their initial findings on the first outcome and can be verified by other to receive the same outcome. The arresting officer will usually administer the first test known as the color test or field test. Another name for the Color test is the Scott test. “The Scott test is a color test for cocaine. A powder containing cocaine turns solution …show more content…

The next test, Microcrystalline, that will be performed is the microcrystalline test to confirm the color test findings. The Microcrystalline test requires the Forensic Chemist to drop a chemical reagent onto the powder that is being questioned at this time on a microscope slide. When a little amount of time has passed the chemist will look through a microscope to observe the regents chemical reaction. This chemical reaction will produce a “crystalline precipitate” (Saferstein, 2013). The shape and size of the crystals are highly likely to give the characteristics of the drug when observed through a microscope (Saferstein, 2013). If this test is conducted correctly it will identify one single substance or drug confirming the qualitative

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