DETECTION OF POISON

TEST
AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy)

Heavy Metals

TEST
Beilstein

Chlorine
- Green Flame

TEST
Benzoldt Gunning

Acetone
- Indigotine

TEST
Bromine Water

Aniline
- Flesh-colored Precipitate (tribromoaniline)

TEST
Brown Ring

Nitrite & Nitrate
- + FeSO4 + H2SO4 formation of brown ring at the interface

TEST
Lieben’s Iodoform

Methanol (vs Ethanol)
- Yellow Precipitate (Iodoform, CHI3)

TEST
Marquis’

Common drugs of abuse
- Ecstasy
- Amphetamine / Methamphetamine
- Propoxyphene
- Heroin and Opiates
- Aspirin

POISON DETECTED
Common drugs of abuse
- Ecstacy

Dark purple/black

POISON DETECTED
Common drugs of abuse
- Amphetamine & Methamphetamine

Orange to brown

POISON DETECTED
Common drugs of abuse
- Propoxyphene

Purple/black

POISON DETECTED
Common drugs of abuse
- Heroin & Opiates

Pink to purple

POISON DETECTED
Common drugs of abuse
- Aspirin

Red

TEST
Marsh

Arsenic
- Mirror-like Precipitate
- Soluble in NaOCl

TEST
Modified Duquenois

Marijuana
- Red color (THC) on TLC

TEST
Reinsch

Heavy Metals
- Antimony (Sb)
- Arsenic (As)
- Bismuth (Bi)
- Mercury (Hg)
needs confirmation via AAS

Heavy Metals (Reinsch)
- Mercury (Hg)

Silvery

Heavy Metals (Reinsch)
- Bismuth (Bi)

Shiny Black

Heavy Metals (Reinsch)
- Arsenic (As)

Dull Black

Heavy Metals (Reinsch)
- Antimony (Sb)

Purple Black

TEST
Rodillon/ Millon

Phenol
- Light to dark red color (mercurous phenate or nitrate phenate)

TEST
Nessler (Mercuric KI)

Chloroform (vs Chloral hydrate)
- Yellow Precipitate (Iodoform)

TEST
Nylander

Bismuth
- White Precipitate (bismuth subnitrate)

TEST
Phenylisocyanide

Nitrobenzene
- addition of chloroform forms aniline and phenylisocyanide (irritable odor detected)

TEST
Picrate Test

Prussic Acid
- Yellow to brick red precipitate

TEST
Schonbien – Pagenstecher

Prussic Acid
- Deep blue (guaiac paper)

TEST
KI

Hg
- Orange precipitate, excess dissolves precipitate 🢣 orange solution (Valser’s Reagent)

TEST
Mitscherlich

P
- Phosphorescence

TEST
Scherer

P
- Black Precipitate

TEST
Schwartz’s Resorcinol

Chloroform
- Yellowish red color with yellowish green fluorescence

TEST
Tollen’s

Reducing substances
- Mirror-like Precipitate (elemental Ag)

TEST
Xanthogenate

CS2
- Release of H2S