Crime Busters - NC Science Olympiad · 2013 State Tournament | Crime Busters | Division B page 3...

2013 State Tournament | Crime Busters | Division B

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Crime Busters Division B 2013 North Carolina State Tournament

Team Number: ______________

Team Name: ___________________________________________

Student Names: ___________________________________________

Read problems carefully. Point values for each question are listed so that you may monitor your time

and use it accordingly. Good luck!

Grading Rubric

*Ties will be broken in the following order: Part A, then Part C, then Part B.

Topic Possible Points Points Earned

Part A Chemical Evidence 50

Part B Physical Evidence 26

Part C Analysis of Crime 24

Total 100

Rank*


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Answer Sheet: Place all answers on this sheet. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE IN TEST BOOKLETS.

Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence

Section 1: Powders (4 points each)

Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence Section 2: General Knowledge (2 points each)

7. ____ 11. ____

8. ____ 12. ____

9. ____ 13. ____

10. ____

Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence Section 3: The Unknown (2 points each)

Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence

Section 1: Polymers (3 points each)

Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence Section 2: Fingerprints & Irises (1 point each)

18. ______________ 25. ____

19. ______________ 26. ____

20. ____ 27. ____

21. ____ 28. ____

22. ____ 29. ____

23. ____ 30. ____

24. ____ 31. ____

Part C: Analysis (24 points) 25. _________________________ (10 points)

26. _____________________________________

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27. __________________________________________

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Name of Powder

Powder 1

Powder 2

Powder 3

Powder 4

Powder 5

Powder 6

Description of Observations

Characteristics

pH

Water Solubility

HCl Test

NaOH Test

Flame Test Color

Polymer Identification

Polymer 14

Polymer 15

Polymer 16

Polymer 17


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Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence Section 1: Powders (4 points each)

Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence Section 2: General Knowledge (2 points each)

7. --B-- 11. --B--

8. --D-- 12. --B--

9. --C-- 13. --C--

10. --B--

Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence Section 3: The Unknown (2 points each)

*Note: Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4)

Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence Section 1: Polymers (3 points each)

Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence Section 2: Fingerprints & Irises (1 point each)

18. --A-- 25. --D--

19. --B-- 26. --A--

20. --B-- 27. --B--

21. --C-- 28. --C--

22. --D-- 29. --B--

23. --C-- 30. --C--

24. --A-- 31. --A--

Part C: Analysis (24 points) 25. Peter from Port City Java (10 points)

26. A. Calcium Carbonate was found by the coffee

stirrers, and Calcium Carbonate is used as a

treatment for osteoperosis

B. Peter was at an ice rink and PMMA was found

at the crime scene

C. Fingerprints match

D. Port City Java had motive and has been known

ransom recipes.

1 point each A-E of brief mention and 2 points if

they elaborate well

27. A. Anhydrous Sodium Acetate was found by the

dishwasher near the entrance. This could

implicate Daphne from Dunkin’ Donuts but it is

also used as a seasoning so may have already

been present.

B. Borax was found by the iris scanner and could

implicate Stacy from Starbucks but no other

evidence points to her.

C. PETE could point to Carl from Caribou Coffee,

but bottles are common in a coffee shop, so they

may have been present at the crime scene.

1 point each A-C of correct powder mention and

2 points if they elaborate as to why that makes the

mascot innocent

Name of Powder

Powder 1 Anhydrous Sodium Acetate (NaC2H3O2)

Powder 2 Borax (Sodium Borate, Na3BO3)

Powder 3 Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

Powder 4 Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) (C6H8O6)

Powder 5 Cornstarch

Powder 6 Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate, NaHCO3)

Description of Observations

Characteristics whitish-cream, opaque powder, crystalline,

odorless

pH 7.7 (neutral)

Water Solubility insoluble in water

HCl Test Does NOT bubble in contact with HCL

NaOH Test Clear, does not precipitate

Flame Test Color Yellow orange (sodium salt)

Polymer Identification

Polymer 14 Non-expandable PS

Polymer 15 HDPE

Polymer 16 PMMA

Polymer 17 PETE


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The Coffee Culprit

Case Details: On the morning of April 27th 2013, the manager of Starbucks Inc. walked into his headquarters to

find that his office and the kitchen had been ransacked. A number of the plastic storage units were crushed,

causing the ingredients to spill out across the kitchen. The cups and lids were

also torn and thrown about the cashier’s station.

After carefully searching through all of the debris, he and the police

discovered that the secret recipe for the latest seasonal latte, was missing

even though the special latte recipe had been protected by a high

performance iris scanner.

Officials arrived at the scene of the crime and recovered the following

evidence:

Powder 1 was found by the dishwasher near the entrance

Powder 2 was found on the floor near the iris scanner

Powder 3 was found by the coffee stirrers

Polymer 16: was found crushed on the ground. It burns noisily with a yellow flame, but is smokeless

when removed from flames. It has a fruity aroma.

Polymer 17: was found by the recycling bin, flame tests showed that the polymer melts and bubbles first

and burns slowly with some black soot and smells like acetaldehyde

Two fingerprints were lifted from the crime scene (shown below)

Fingerprints for each suspect were taken for comparison (located at the Fingerprint Station)

Fingerprint 1 Fingerprint 2


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Stacy from Starbucks

Motive: Stacy from Starbucks did not seem like a likely suspect because

she was the victim, but during her interrogation she seemed very

anxious. Stacy has been faced with a lot of criticism over her latest

experimentation with recipes, and has been known to try and conceal

them for a long as possible from the public eye in whatever way possible.

Alibi: Stacy stated that she left work early because she had to pick up her

kids from school, and she spent the afternoon doing arts and crafts with

her children (i.e. gluing popsicle sticks together, making putty with

Borax...)

Other Information: Stacy was found sneaking a large batch of freshly

made cookies (cornstarch) and milk jugs (HDPE) into her car. She

claimed they were for her family. There were a couple of empty Elmer’s

Glue bottles (made from HDPE) found in the trunk of her car.

Carl from Caribou Coffee Motive: Always feels left out and forgotten because they are not as well

known and competitive as the other coffee franchises. The company is

also on the verge of going bankrupt unless they come out with some new

list of popular seasonal beverages.

Alibi: Carl is training for a marathon and says he had practice late into

the night.

Other Information: A number of electrolyte (sodium bicarbonate)

packets and empty Gatorade bottles (Made from PETE) were found in the

trunk of his car.

Suspects: Based on police questioning, the following four large coffee chains were considered suspects


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Daphne from Dunkin’ Donuts Motive: As notoriously known for their slogan “America Runs on

Dunkin’” this well known donut shop is not as well known for their

coffee. They have been trying to copy other coffee shop recipes for the

past month with no avail.

Alibi: Daphne from Dunkin’ Donuts claim that she could not have stolen

the recipe because she was suffering from severe back pain. Daphne

explained that she was at home the entire day applying medications and

ointments, which were in polystyrene containers.

Other Information: When her house was searched, several heating pads

and painkillers (which have sodium acetate in their ingredients) were

found scattered around the couch.

Peter from Port City Java Motive: Starbucks has been named America’s favorite Coffee Stop for

years, but Peter suspects foul play and have been known to ransom

coffee recipes from other coffee shops for information.

Alibi:

Peter said that he had spent all night with his girlfriend at the ice rinks

and would have been too exhausted from crashing into the splintered

Plexiglass windows made from PMMA.

Other Information: During the interrogation, Peter, who also had one

hand in a cast, kept complaining about his weak joints and asked to be

released as soon as possible so he could take his medicine for

osteoporosis which contains Calcium Carbonate.


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Section 1: Powders

Using the samples (Powders 1 through 6) and supplies at your station, identify each the powders and write their names on the answer sheet. You may perform flame tests and a hot water bath is provided up front.


Section 2: General Knowledge

7. If the pH of a substance is 11.5, how would you identify it? a. acidic b. basic c. neutral

8. Which of the following powders bubbles when dissolved in HCl?

a. sugar

b. ascorbic acid

c. anhydrous sodium acetate

d. calcium carbonate

9. Which of the following powders produces a white-colored precipitate when in contact with NaOH?

a. ascorbic acid

b. calcium carbonate

c. baking soda

d. alka-seltzer

10. What gaseous chemical compound is released when baking soda is reacted with HCl?

a. O2

b. CO2

c. CO3

d. NH3

11. What are the results of an iodine test with starch?

a. Starch forms a helix surrounding the starch producing a yellow color b. Starch oxidizes forming a dark purple/black byproduct c. Starch forms a helix surrounding the starch producing a dark purple/black color d. Starch oxidizes forming a yellow byproduct

12. Once a determination has been made that a substance is either sugar or salt with 100% certainty, it would

then be appropriate to taste each chemical for identification.

a. True b. False

13. In what substance would you least likely find calcium carbonate?

a. Blackboard Chalk b. Antacid c. Fertilizer d. Construction materials


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Part A: Crime Scene Chemical Evidence Section 3: The Unknown

In this section, you will ONLY describe your observations of an unknown. You ARE NOT required to identify this unknown. This unknown is labeled “The Unknown.” Using the sample of unknown and supplies at your station, fill out the chart on your answer sheet.

Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence Section 1: Polymers

Using the samples (Polymers 14 through 17) at your station, identify each polymer and write their names on the answer sheet.


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Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence Section 2: Fingerprints

Use the fingerprint images from the scene, and answer the following questions.

18. Classify Fingerprint 1

a. Arch

b. Whorl

c. Loop

19. Classify Fingerprint 2

a. Arch

b. Whorl

c. Loop

20. Identify the feature circled in Figure 1:

a. Spur

b. Ridge Ending

c. Bifurcation

d. Island

21. Identify the feature circled in Figure 2:

a. Spur

b. Ridge Ending

c. Bifurcation

d. Island

Examine the fingerprints recovered from the scene at the Fingerprint Station (located near the door to the room).

Also examine the partial fingerprints obtained from each suspect located at the Fingerprint Station.

22. The fingerprints found at the scene most closely matches the samples from which suspect?

a. Stacy from Starbucks

b. Carl from Caribou Coffee

c. Daphne from Dunkin Donuts

d. Peter from Port City Java

23. Which type of fingerprint lifting would have been best to use for the fingerprint from the door and what is

the chemical basis for this type of lifting?

a. Superglue fuming with fatty acids/lipids

b. Superglue fuming with amino acids

c. Dusting with fatty acids/lipids

d. Dusting with amino acids

24. What fingerprint pattern is least common?

a. Arch

b. Loop

c. Whorl


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Part B: Crime Scene Physical Evidence

Section 3: Irises

25. Identify what arrow 1 is pointing to:

a. Crypt

b. Contraction Furrow

c. Freckle

d. Limbal Ring


a. Crypt


c. Freckle

d. Limbal Ring


a. Crypt


c. Freckle

d. Limbal Ring


a. Crypt


c. Freckle

d. Limbal Ring

29. Twins are considered to have the same iris patterns

a. Yes

b. No

c. Only identical

d. Not enough research conducted

1

2

3

4


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30. Where exactly is the iris located?

a. Between the pupil and lens

b. Between the conjunctiva and pupil

c. Between the cornea and lens

d. Between the cornea and pupil

31. The external surface of the multi-colored iris contains two different zones, known as:

a. Outer ciliary and inner pupillary

b. Inner sphincter and outer dilator

c. Inner ciliary and outer sphincter

d. Anterior myoepithelium and posterior epithelium


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Part C: Analysis (25 points)

Answer the questions below on your answer sheet.

32. Based on your analysis today, which coffee franchise do you think stole the top-secret recipe?

33. What evidence led you to choose that coffee franchise?

34. Was there any evidence that pointed to the other suspects? What is it and how might it be explainable by

other circumstances?

Other Information:

Flame Test Results

Powder 1: Bright yellow/orange Powder 2: Greenish yellow Powder 3: Orange Powder 4: -none- Powder 5: -none- Powder 6: bright orange/yellow Polymer 14: Yellow flame; burns rapidly; drips flames; dense black smoke with soot in the air Polymer 15: Burns rapidly and cleanly; drips flames; white smoke when extinguished


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Stacy from Starbucks

FINGERPRINT STATION


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Carl from Caribou Coffee


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FINGERPRINT STATION

Daphne from Dunkin’ Donuts


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FINGERPRINT STATION

Peter from Port City Java

Crime Busters - NC Science Olympiad · 2013 State Tournament | Crime Busters | Division B page 3...

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