Honors Macromolecule Mystery LAB

A murder has occurred right here in our peaceful little town of Vernon, CT. At 9:00 PM last night a
jogger found the victim lying on the side of the road. As top-notch biology students at Rockville High
School you have been asked to assist in the investigation. Central to identifying the individual who
committed this crime is establishing where the victim was the day of the crime. Detectives can then
use this information to interview individuals that had contact with the victim and maybe narrow in on
a suspect. An autopsy was performed on the victim and it revealed that the victim ate just prior to the
time of death. Upon questioning the victims friends and family, detectives working the case have
learned that the victim enjoyed eating at the following places.


Pauls Pizza
The victim would never eat thin crust pizza from anywhere else! The victim would
typically order a pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and bacon.


Reins Deli
The victim loved to come here for a quick pick-me-up. The double chocolate
fudge cupcake with extra sprinkles was the victims favorite.



Angelinos Restaurant
The victim loved to go here for an evening of bread, olive oil, pasta, and good
conversation with friends.



Vernon Diner
The victim loved to get the scramble eggs with a side of plain yogurt. The victim
was known to always say, Breakfast for dinner always makes a bad day better.


The forensic pathologist has removed the contents of the victims stomach for you to analyze in order
to determine where the victim had his last meal!






Directions: In your composition notebooks answer the following questions. Make sure to title each
section as shown below in bold.
Title of Lab and Date
Pre-lab questions
1. What is an indicator?
2. What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative data?
3. What does it mean to get a positive test for a substance?
4. Why did we test water each time, what did it show?
5. What organic macromolecules would you expect find in the stomach contents of the victim if
the victims final meal was at Pauls Pizza?
6. What macromolecules would you expect to find in the stomach contents of the victim if the
victims final meal was at Reins Deli?
7. What macromolecules would you expect to find in the stomach contents of the victim if the
victims final meal was at Angelinos Restaurant?
8. What macromolecules would you expect to find in the stomach contents of the victim if the
victims final meal was at Vernon Diner?

Problem Statement:
What is the problem you are trying to solve?

Hypothesis:
Create a hypothesis based on the above information.
For example: If the victim ate at _______________ then our tests would achieve positive results for
___________________________________because they were all present in the food the victim ate.
Procedure:
Before analyzing the stomach contents of the deceased, you must determine the procedure to be used to test for
each organic macromolecule. Using information given in class, write out the procedure for testing for each of
the macromolecules. Make sure to describe the procedure in enough detail so that others can repeat your work.

DATA:
Create a data table to record your result.

Conclusion: con-clude (to arrive at a judgment or opinion by reasoning)
Report your findings in a conclusion. Provide a logical explanation, using data from the tests on the stomach
contents, that explains if your hypothesis was supported or not. MAKE SURE TO USE Your DATA Use the
following questions as a guide.
What problem did you investigate?
What did you predict?
What steps did you take to answer the question? (brief explanation)
What did your results show?
What do you conclude?
What errors may have been made?
What improvements could be made for next time?