Accidental Drowning or Foul Play? | NSTA

Accidental Drowning or Foul Play?

Journal of College Science Teaching—October 2004

This case was developed for a sophomore organic chemistry lab to illustrate how a combination of techniques is usually required in the identification of chemical compounds. It involves a murder mystery with a forensic twist: Two bodies have been recovered from two different lakes, but because of a mix-up at the morgue, the coroner is unable to determine which body came from which lake. The students’ task is to develop a methodology to solve this mystery as well as determine whether the deaths were due to murder or misadventure.

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