Question 3:
Scenario:
You are the lead of a forensic toxicology team and calling all the shots. You have just been given a new case, where you must try and determine if John Doe, the person you are doing an autopsy on, was the victim of foul play – a suspected poisoning. John Doe arrived at the emergency room of a hospital one day ago alive but unconscious. The following samples were collected upon admission:
- Blood (A).
- Urine (B).
- Hair (C).
After being admitted for one day (24 hours), John Doe died with no cause of death reported. John Doe’s body arrives at your facility for autopsy along with the samples A, B, and C. You further collect the following samples:
- Liver (any part) (D).
- Stomach contents (E).
- Lungs (F).
- Vitreous humor (G).
- Hair (H).
- Blood (I).
- Urine (J).
- You only have enough time/money to process and analyze 4 of the samples (A-J). Indicate which 4 samples you would select and explain why you chose those samples (each sample has a letter associated with it (A-J); use this letter when answering the question). In your explanation you should discuss why each sample individually was chosen and any benefits there might be from the samples complementing each other. Also include in your answer the key factor that must be considered with respect to all samples (ADME) and explain how you accommodated this with your sample choices.
2. Once you have chosen your samples, you will need to perform some form of chromatography on each one before you can start to analyze them for any poison. Indicate which method of chromatography you would choose for each sample. You can use more than one method of chromatography on a single sample or use the same method on all samples – as long as you explain how that method of chromatography works and why it’s appropriate for each sample. As part of your answer, discuss if each sample would need pre-treatment before being subjected to chromatography and what the pre-treatment would be.
3. Now that you have prepared your samples you must visualize and quantify your results using mass spectrometry. Select an ionization method for each sample that you prepared in question 2 above, describe how it works, and why it is ideal for that specific sample.
4. Describe what you need to do in question 3 above to be able to quantify your sample.
5. What if you were presenting your mass spectrometry results in court and had a peak at an m/z of 542.3 and you stated in your findings that this corresponds to unique fentanyl analogue, which killed John Doe. Describe what additional work you must do to support this conclusion, how it works, and why it can provide definitive proof that the compound is in fact the unique fentanyl analogue.
Question 3:
Scenario:
You are the lead of a forensic toxicology team and calling all the shots. You have just been given a new case, where you must try and determine if John Doe, the person you are doing an autopsy on, was the victim of foul play – a suspected poisoning. John Doe arrived at the emergency room of a hospital one day ago alive but unconscious. The following samples were collected upon admission:
- Blood (A).
- Urine (B).
- Hair (C).
After being admitted for one day (24 hours), John Doe died with no cause of death reported. John Doe’s body arrives at your facility for autopsy along with the samples A, B, and C. You further collect the following samples:
- Liver (any part) (D).
- Stomach contents (E).
- Lungs (F).
- Vitreous humor (G).
- Hair (H).
- Blood (I).
- Urine (J).
- You only have enough time/money to process and analyze 4 of the samples (A-J). Indicate which 4 samples you would select and explain why you chose those samples (each sample has a letter associated with it (A-J); use this letter when answering the question). In your explanation you should discuss why each sample individually was chosen and any benefits there might be from the samples complementing each other. Also include in your answer the key factor that must be considered with respect to all samples (ADME) and explain how you accommodated this with your sample choices.
2. Once you have chosen your samples, you will need to perform some form of chromatography on each one before you can start to analyze them for any poison. Indicate which method of chromatography you would choose for each sample. You can use more than one method of chromatography on a single sample or use the same method on all samples – as long as you explain how that method of chromatography works and why it’s appropriate for each sample. As part of your answer, discuss if each sample would need pre-treatment before being subjected to chromatography and what the pre-treatment would be.
3. Now that you have prepared your samples you must visualize and quantify your results using mass spectrometry. Select an ionization method for each sample that you prepared in question 2 above, describe how it works, and why it is ideal for that specific sample.
4. Describe what you need to do in question 3 above to be able to quantify your sample.
5. What if you were presenting your mass spectrometry results in court and had a peak at an m/z of 542.3 and you stated in your findings that this corresponds to unique fentanyl analogue, which killed John Doe. Describe what additional work you must do to support this conclusion, how it works, and why it can provide definitive proof that the compound is in fact the unique fentanyl analogue.
