Common Household Reagents that React with Luminol in a Similar Manner as Hemoglobin that Decrease the Reliability of Luminol

Authors

  • Taeja Zubillaga Honors Intro to FIVS

Abstract

Abstract: This study was conducted to identify common household reagents, such as bleach or rust, that would react with Luminol in a similar manner as hemoglobin, and thus decrease the reliability of Luminol when used at crime scenes. This experiment was conducted in a household, using 10 samples of the household reagents bleach, rust from pennies, laundry detergent, hoisin sauce, lemon juice, and urine. A small sample of blood in addition to each of the 10 samples of the reagents were placed onto a bed sheet, and liquid Luminol was sprayed over them. The luminescence, or lack thereof, of the Luminol in conjunction with each of the household reagents was then ranked on a scale of 1-4 in terms of how similarly it appeared to that of the hemoglobin. The major findings from this study, were that the bleach reacted with Luminol 95% of the time. Rust on pennies reacted with Luminol 70% of the time, whereas hoisin sauce reacted with Luminol only 17.5% of the time. Urine reacted with Luminol minimally and 7.5% of the time, and lemon juice and laundry detergent reacted with Luminol 0% of the time. Bleach and rust (Copper Oxide) were determined to have a high chance of decreasing the reliability of Luminol. Hoisin sauce, urine, lemon juice, and laundry detergents are common household reagents that do not have much bearing on the reliability of Luminol when it is used at crime scenes.

Published

2022-01-27