Workshops

As I've mentioned previously, I've had the opportunity to work on forensic science/chemistry workshops. Back in 2010 I was given the chance to help out one of my colleagues in setting up one of the workshops, and from there, took an active role in planning, setting up and running the workshops. Over time, I've been able to present to a range of people, young and old and from all walks of life.

Presenting workshops to high school kids is a highlight of my work at the moment. Sure, you can get a group of kids that have no interest in science, or a group that thinks it is a good idea to try and snort fingerprinting powder, but overall I've had a blast.

A typical workshop begins with a brief introduction to forensic science and how the portrayal of forensic science on television shows like CSI is often highly inaccurate. Afterwards, there is a hands-on demonstration of how to deposit fingerprints on suitable surfaces, how to develop these fingerprints with suitable fingerprint powders, and then how to lift the developed fingerprints with gelatine lifters.

Depending on the group and their interests, it's then off to the dark room and/or the microscope room. In the dark room, the students get to look at some of the cool bits of equipment available for use by undergraduate students and researchers. The Polilight is one such instrument, and allows me to show off the use of different coloured light sources in a forensic setting, and to also show fluorescence of fingerprinting reagents like Rhodamine 6G.

As an aside, the Polilight is an Australian invention, developed back in 1989. It was named by the Powerhouse Museum as one of the top 100 Australian inventions of the 20th century. Also, if you're ever in Canberra, around Dunlop, then you can visit Polilight Street. Cool, eh?

In the microscope room, students have the opportunity to view a range of items under different microscopes. They get a chance to compare and contrast different plant, animal and man-made fibres, and to look at the layers that make up a paint chip from a car.

The highlight for a reasonable number of students, however, is the mock crime scene. In the past, I was limited by the space available, though in recent months I've had the opportunity to make use of a larger and more suitable "Search Room". In short, a "Search Room" is typically used for collecting fibres from items of interest, and features a large, centrally located table in a very well-lit room. As such, I've had the chance to have some fun setting up the crime scenes, and have been able to draw a bit of inspiration from shows such as Dexter.

After all this is a quick Q&A session, answering any and all questions that the students have about university life, research, science, chemistry, drugs and poisons, autopsies and so on.

Here are a few shots of a crime scene I set up late last year, making full use of my fake blood recipe.

Oh the humanity! Or in the case, mannequinity!

Another view of the crime scene.

The right lighting conditions for murder most foul.

The possessions of the deceased.

Fake blood. Also, ouch!

More blood, and a different view of the crime scene.

I was always rather concerned about how gory this crime scene was, and how the students would respond. In the past I have had a few students who have become green around the gills when I mention blood, corpses or things of that nature. I shouldn't have worried though, as the students that got to experience this crime scene thought it was fantastic. Apparently more blood and gore the better, eh?

Well, hope you enjoyed all that. Until next time, warmest regards,
Nathan

Recipe time! Fake blood

One of the advantages of doing science marketing work and running forensic science/chemistry workshops is that it allows me to explore my creative side. When it comes to setting up a mock crime scene, one thing that is essential is a good fake blood.

I've had mixed success with the recipes I've found on the internet. Store-bought fake blood that is found on the shelves of dollar stores around Halloween is rather good, but I'm rather fond of my own recipe. Not only does it have a pleasant strawberry smell, it is also edible (I wouldn't go eating copious amounts of it though, as glycerine has a higher energy density than sucrose).

Materials
- 250 mL Glycerine/glycerol (available from supermarkets)
- Strawberry jelly powder (one sachet)
- Water
- Red food colouring
- Blue food colouring

Directions
1) Pour glycerine into microwave-safe bowl
2) Heat glycerine in microwave until hot (try not to set anything on fire). Shouldn't need more than about 30 to 45 seconds, but use your judgement.
3) Add jelly powder to hot glycerine, and mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed
4) Dropwise, add about 10 drops of red food colouring to mixture. Stir thoroughly.
5) Add a drop of blue food colouring and stir thoroughly. Add more until desired colour is achieved.
6) If the mixture is too thick, add small amounts of water until mixture has desired consistency.

Storage
If stored in an air-tight container, this mixture should be safe for use for weeks, if not months.

Preparation Time
This recipe should take about 10 minutes to make, from start to finish. 

Comment
Be aware that fake blood can stain, so take appropriate steps to ensure that you don't spray/spread this anywhere that will be difficult to clean. This fake blood can also be rather sticky, especially if left on a surface for a while. Also, as it contains glycerine, if you don't clean it up right away you may get ants and other insects taking advantage of a free meal.

On Chemophobia - Dihydrogen Monoxide

Perhaps one of the more interesting issues I encounter as a chemist is that of chemophobia, an irrational fear of chemicals.

In my experience it emerges as a lack of understanding of what chemicals are, the fact that everything in our world is composed of chemicals, and most important of all, a lack of understanding of the relationship between dose and effect.

In relation to dose, the German/Swiss alchemist Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, better known as Paracelsus, said it best:

"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous" 

Or as it is more simply put:

"The dose makes the poison"

One of the advantages of working with high school students in forensic/chemistry workshops is that it allows me to gauge their understanding of the chemical world. Whether it be a discussion on what the term "organic" means, the painful debate over the safety of vaccinations, or what everyday objects contain, the questions and feedback I receive are truly fascinating.

Perhaps one of my favourite demonstrations draws on the rather popular Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) hoax of years gone by. In my demonstrations, it begins by politely asking for volunteers from the audience, and if none are forthcoming, a bribe of crime scene tape works a charm. After the volunteers are assembled, I don my labcoat, goggles, and some nitrile gloves before continuing.

I then ask my volunteers to produce one of their hands, preferably their non-writing hand, before nervously producing a vial containing that dastardly compound, DHMO. After gingerly placing a drop on each of the volunteers' preferred and proferred hands, a short statement regarding the dangers of DHMO is read out. Ususally DHMO is switched out for the IUPAC name "oxidane", in order to throw off any students aware of the DHMO hoax.

Hide the children! It's oxidane!

The students are then questioned on any ill effects that they are experiencing following exposure. The effects I've had rattled off to me are curious, and have included anything from tremors, sweating and increased heart rate, to headaches, stomach cramps and dizziness. To quell any further worries, the ruse is revealed, and the students calm down significantly.

The goal of all this is to demonstrate that an awareness of chemistry, if not an active interest in it, combined with a healthy dose of skepticism, can prove invaluable.After all, it pays to be aware of the world around you, and to have at the very least a basic knowledge of how things work. This brings to mind a very salient quote by Neil Degrasse Tyson:

"If you're scientifically literate, the world looks very different to you"

In future posts, I will further discuss chemophobia and how people perceive chemicals, more broadly, chemistry.

Well, that wraps up this post. Thanks for reading!

Greetings to an electronic world

Greetings. This marks the first post on my blog.

My labcoat

 I am currently a PhD student, studying in the field of forensic toxicology. I was first drawn to science at a young age, with the gift of a chemistry set that would, in today's world, be seen as rather dangerous. In my mind, the chemicals were rather innocuous,  and allowed me to explore a world that exists parallel to our own, though on a much smaller scale. That chemistry set, that I still recall fondly, kindled a fire inside me to better understand our world. From simple experiments, like making pH indicators, crystallising compounds and so on, it provided much joy to me. It also allowed me to turn my hand bright orange, a result of an overzealous mind bored when the listed experiments were completed.

This fascination with science has not only lead to my current position as a PhD student in Sydney, but has also given me the opportunity to work with high school students, and present forensic science and chemistry workshops for those that are interested. The look of excitement and fascination on the faces of the students bestows a remarkable feeling, and I am glad to be able to have a chance to ignite and pass on a passion for science that a humble chemistry set ignited in me all those years ago. 

The research that I am currently working on pertains to urine testing for recreational substances, specifically, cannabis use. Though urine testing for a range of licit and illicit substances is well established, in recent years there has been an increasing problem with the use of adulterants to chemically alter urine samples in order to obtain a false negative. Currently, I am exploring a range of oxidising agents and their effect on urine samples that have been spiked with a key metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy THC (THC-COOH).

The key issue with the use of adulterants, in particular oxidising adulterants, is that they react with the metabolites present in a positive urine sample. These reactions render common methods to test urine samples ineffective. From immunoassays such as ELISA, to mass spectrometric techniques, these samples fly under the radar, as it were, for subtle changes to the structure of the metabolites of interest result in novel compounds that are not associated with a positive urine sample. Therefore, it has been the goal of my research to react THC-COOH with a range of oxidising agents, and to explore whether novel reaction products are formed, and if so, whether they are stable and suitable for incorporation into current testing procedures. 

Urine adulteration has therefore become an increasing problem for law enforcement agencies. This has been compounded by the availability of a number of oxidising agents, able to be bought online or at your local supermarket. On that note, from the fantastic Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse, some insight on this matter:

Pickles: Dudes, we party too hard, so our bodies are in terrible shape. We gotta trick the doctor by making it seem like we're in really good shape. And there's only one way to do that. Bleach. [holds up a jug of bleach] Here, drink this Murderface. [hands it to Murderface]

Skwisgaar: Uhh, maybe this ams a stupid question, buts, why don'ts we just pours bleach into our cups of...urines?

Pickles: [looking angry at the suggestion] No! Drink the bleach!

Nathan: Bleach is healthy. It's mostly water. And we are mostly water. Therefore, we are bleach.

Or if you prefer a clip:

As a sidenote, please don't drink bleach. Pretty please?

Results have been promising to date. A number of viable oxidising agents have been selected, including betadine, alkaline hypochlorite (bleach), potassium/sodium nitrite, and pyridinium chlorochromate. As THC-COOH is quite prone to oxidation, a number of viable intermediates and products have been isolated, and are in the process of being analysed. For the oxidising agents containing halogens, it appears that electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) produces mono-halogen derivatives of THC-COOH as intermediates, with the di-halogen (di-chloro and di-iodo) THC-COOH derivatives representing the ultimate products. For nitrite-based reactions, an unstable nitroso-containing derivative forms, which undergoes further reaction to produce a stable nitro-THC-COOH compound.

Well, that covers who I am and what I do. As for this blog, well, I intend to comment on the perception of science, chemistry and drugs within society, and to discuss fascinating articles and the like.

So, thank you for reading this far. I truly hope that you will find my writings and ramblings fascinating. With kindest regards,
Nathan