Lab 5: Volatile Organic Compounds Testing in Forensic Context
Volatile organic compounds are important toxicants to consider because they may be present in every-day items (paints, cleaning products, etc.), work-place, atmosphere, etc. Hence, monitoring small organic compounds is important in forensic toxicology. Due to the property of these compounds, such as their low boiling points, the gas chromatography may be used for detection. In this laboratory video, the gas chromatography was used to measure the presence of various compounds in samples, including sample mixtures.
Video
This video (18:24) documents in detail the full process of setting up and using the Vernier Mini GC Plus. It begins with setting up the instrument and needle for injections, software set-up and testing standard samples. The samples are composed of VOCs, such as alcohols and ketones.
Data Sets and Worksheet
Clicking the data set link below will automatically download the Excel spreadsheet to your computer.
Data sets (experimental data) provided include various VOCs (standard solutions or references): ethanol, methanol, acetone and 3-methyl-2-butanone. Worksheets related to this lab are also available.
Clicking the worksheet link below will open the worksheet for this lab in a new window. You will then have the option to download the pdf file if you choose to.
