Blood Alcohol Determination Lab KEY

Lab Data - Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Test Results

Standards for Comparison

Blood Color of Alcohol Indicator Reagent
Alcohol
Concentrati Initial After 20 minutes
on

0.0% Yellow-orange Yellow-orange

0.04% Yellow-orange Yellow-green

0.08% Yellow-orange Green-blue

0.10% Yellow-orange blue

Color of Alcohol Indicator Reagent Estimated BAC

Initial After 20 minutes

Mike’s Sample Yellow-orange Yellow-orange 0.0%

Wendy’s Sample Yellow-orange Blue 0.10%

Data Calculations:

BAC Reference Table: 180-pound Male BAC Reference Table: 120-pound Female
Drinks per hour
Drinks per hour
0 1 2 3 4 5
0 1 2 3 4 5
BAC 0.0 0.04 0.080 0.11 0.15 0.19
BAC 0.0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.0 0.11 0
0 8

Calculated BAC at time of accident

Mike, 180-pound male

Hour 1 2 3 4

Number of Drinks Consumed 2 2 0 0

BAC at start of hour 0.00 0.02 0.04 0.02

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 BAC from concentration table 0.04 0.04 0.00 0.00

BAC (start of hour + table) 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.02

Alcohol broken down by the body -0.02 -0.02 -0.02 -0.02

BAC at end of hour 0.02 0.04 0.02 0.0

Wendy, 120-pound female

Hour 1 2 3 4

Number of Drinks Consumed 3 0 0 0

BAC at start of hour 0.00 0.09 0.07 0.05

BAC from concentration table 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.00

BAC (start of hour + table) 0.11 0,09 0.07 0.05

Alcohol broken down by the body -0.02 -0.02 -0.02 -0.02

BAC at end of hour 0.09 0,07 0.05 0.03

0
0 1 2 3 4 Time (hours)

CA
B

Blood Alcohol Concentration

Graph
1

0.8

0.6
Mike Wendy
0.4

0.2

Post Lab Questions

1. According to your evidence, was either driver legally intoxicated at the time of the crash?

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 According to the blood alcohol test results, Wendy was legally intoxicated at the time of the crash. Mike had no
detectable alcohol in his blood

2. Using your evidence, determine is the two testimonials provided by the drivers are accurate accounts of
their drinking patterns on the night of the crash. Are there any discrepancies between your blood sample
data and your calculated blood alcohol concentrations?

Mike’s testimony is supported by his blood sample results. According to what he told police, by the time he left the
party he had a 0.04 BAC. At the time of the crash, he had a 0.0 BAC. Wendy told police she did not have any alcohol
after 11 PM. If this were true, Wendy’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash would have been
approximately 0.03. However, Wendy’s blood sample indicated a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit.
Therefore, there is a discrepancy between Wendy’s blood sample and the statement she gave police.

3. How confident would you be using your evidence in a court of law? What further evidence may you want
to support your claim?

Answers will vary. Students may say they are not very confident in the results of the blood test and would like to see
additional tests run in a forensic laboratory. Students may also suggest seeking eyewitness accounts from individual
at the parties and anyone at the scene of the crash.

4. The blood samples from the drivers were taking from the drivers at 3:00 am, an hour after the time of the
crash
a. How would you expected the concentration of alcohol in the blood samples to change over that hour?

The concentration of alcohol in the blood samples would have decreased over the course of that hour. According to
the BAC calculation tables, we can estimate that the concentration would have decreased about 0.02% during the
hour

b. Does that change your statement regarding whether either driver was legally intoxicated at the time of
the crash?
No. The concentration of alcohol found in Wendy’s blood was above the legal limit aat 3:00AM if her BAC was
above the legal limit an hour after the crash, we know her BAC at the time of the crash was probably slightly higher.
No alcohol was detected in Mike’s blood. Even if his body processed the average 0.02% over the course of that hour,
his BAC at the time of the crash would have been well below the legal limit.

5. Describe the chemistry behind the reaction taking place in your petri dish. Explain how this is similar to
what happens in some breath analysis instruments.

The chemical reaction taking place in the petri dish is a redox reaction. The ethanol is present I the blood, and the
potassium dichromate and sulfiuric acid are present in the alcohol indicator reagent. The volatile ethanol vaporizes
from the blood in the petri dish, as ethanol vaporizes in the lungs. When the vapr contacts the indicator reagent, the
chemical reaction occurs. According to the chemical equation, chromium is reduced. Potassium dichromate is
yellow, while the reduced chromium (III) sulfate is green. The amount of chromium reduced depends upon the
amount of ethanol present. The greater the concentration of ethanol, the more the reaction proceeds to produce the
green chromium (III) sulfate. This reaction takes place in breath analysis instruments that use the change in color
of potassium dichromate to the chromium (III) sulfate to indicate alcohol concentration.

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 6. What are the advantage and disadvantages to test blood alcohol concentration through breath? What are
some potential sources of error?

Advantages: Breath analysis instruments are fast, safe, and noninvasive

Disadvantages: Breath analysis is an indirect test for alcohol in blood. One possibility for error is that there may
not be the same ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol in all individuals; i.e., some physiological aspect of a
particular person may cause breath concentration to be higher or lower then the typical corresponding blood
concentration. Another potential problem I that certain products, such as mouthwash, or breath spray, can lead to
falsely high readings.

7. Body fat deposits are not very soluble and typically have a lower percentage of body fat than females. If a
male and female of equal weight consume equivalent amounts of alcohol, who would more likely have the
higher concentration of alcohol in their blood? Explain.

When alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream, it travels to all parts of the body, concentration in areas with high
water densities, Fat is not water soluble, Since females have a higher percentage of body fat (i.e., they have a lower
percentage of water in their bodies), the alcohol will probably be more concentrated in the blood of the female.

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