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Experiment 6 Gunpowder-2

The document describes a procedure to determine the presence of gunpowder nitrates on the hands of someone who fired a gun. Two subjects will fire either a .38 revolver or a .45 caliber handgun. Their hands will then be coated with paraffin wax and treated with diphenylamine reagent. If gunpowder nitrates are present, blue specks will appear on the wax casts, concentrated on the thumb and forefinger. The procedure aims to determine what type of gun was fired based on the expected higher nitrate residues from the .45 caliber, which contains more gunpowder. However, the conclusion notes that the test is not entirely reliable and new improved tests are being used elsewhere.

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183 views

Experiment 6 Gunpowder-2

The document describes a procedure to determine the presence of gunpowder nitrates on the hands of someone who fired a gun. Two subjects will fire either a .38 revolver or a .45 caliber handgun. Their hands will then be coated with paraffin wax and treated with diphenylamine reagent. If gunpowder nitrates are present, blue specks will appear on the wax casts, concentrated on the thumb and forefinger. The procedure aims to determine what type of gun was fired based on the expected higher nitrate residues from the .45 caliber, which contains more gunpowder. However, the conclusion notes that the test is not entirely reliable and new improved tests are being used elsewhere.

Uploaded by

HK Free
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gunpowder.

Nitrates Determination
                            Paraffin Examination

I.  Objective

To determine the presence of gunpowder nitrates on both hands of the firer.

II.    Materials
                            Paraffin wax half kilo for both hands
                            Cotton to cover both hands ( reinforcement)
                            Casserole for melting the wax
                            Crucible tong
                            Burner to melt the wax
                            2 pieces of bond paper
                            Old newspapers
                            Tray  ( aluminum or fiberglass)
                            Diphenylamine reagent (. 0.5 grams of Diphenylamine crystals in 
                            60 % sulfuric acid in water.
                            Paper bag

III.    Procedure
                  1.  Select two members from the group one will fire a .38 revolver and 
                        one will fire a .45 caliber. After firing cover both hands of the firer with 
                        paper bag.
                  2.  Melt the paraffin wax in a low flame. (Melting point of paraffin wax is 
                        38 to 40 degree Centigrade).
                  3.  While melting the paraffin wax prepare two sheets of bond paper and 
                        below the left  side portion of the bond paper  note down the
                        following items:
                        Name and signature of the subject, time and date taken, place where 
                        the cast taken, name and signature of the person who took the cast,
                        and two witnesses with their name and signature.
                  4.  Wash the hands on the top water without using any soap or    
                        detergents, dry the hands using cotton.
                  5.  Let the subject place his/her both hands on the sheets of bond 
                        paper with the palm facing downward, fingers close together.
                  6.  Using the crucible tong with cotton apply the melted paraffin wax on 
                        the hands of the subject. Lift the tong with cotton approximately one 
                        foot high from the hands before applying the wax to avoid skin burn. 
                  7.  After coating the whole hands with wax, put on the thin sheet of 
                        cotton on both hands to reinforce the wax.
                  8.  Pour again the melted paraffin wax on both hands and wait till the cast has set and dry.
                  9.  Slightly remove the cast, open the cast starting from the wrist of the hands let the subject
move his /her fingers slowly and remove the hands from the cast.
                  10.  Put the cast on a tray and treat the cast with Diphenylamine reagent.
                  11.  Concentrate on the thumb and forefinger these surface are expose to the gun.
                  12.  Determine the location and the character of  blue specks with tailing 
                        that  will appear on the cast. Means POSITIVE for gunpowder residue (nitrates).

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:30PTS

10PTS- WHAT IS THE POSITIVE RESULT IF GUN POWDER NITRATES IS PRESENT ON THE PARAFFIN
CAST?

Blue specks will appear in the cast after it is treated with diphenylamine reagent

20PTS- WHAT CALIBER WILL PRODUCE MORE GUN POWDER NITRATES THAT WILL EMBED ON
HANDS OF THE FIRER,POINT 38 or POINT 45,EXPLAIN.

The caliber that will produce more gun powder is the .45 because the .45 is holds more gun powder because of
its case capacity which will be embedded in the hands of the firer unlike the .38 which contains smokeless
powder.
IV.    Observation

From what I have observe the Gunpowder Nitrates Determination Paraffin Examination uses paraffin
wax and diphenylamine reagent to confirm the gun powder nitrate that is embedded in the hands of the
firer it is used to determine if the accuse really fired the gun or not or what kind of gun was used.

V.    Conclusion

Therefore I concluded that the examination to determine the gun powder nitrate that is embedded in
the hands can’t always be trusted and because there are ways to remove the nitrate in the hands so the
examination must be replaced wiht the new test that is being used by other countries which is much
more accurate.

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