Australia's Science Forum

Hi All
I need some help. Our Year 9's are doing forensics and of course the usual problem arises. We cannot determine blood grouping or use it to look at splatter patterns etc.. Does anyone have a good recipe for imitation blood? Any ideas anyone? Thanks.
Maree

Hey Voice!

It took me a while to realize it but the way I have my page settings for this site, at the bottom of the forum I happen to be reading at the time, there is a section with related topics listed. Under Artificial blood listed under this forum, there is recipes and a really great site from Jazz for the students to play forensics.

Hope this helps,
Lou.

Taken from The Crime Fighter, Forensic Science unit page 2

Flase blood, all blood and antisera samples must be given out in dropper bottles.

Keep all samples in sealed, airtight containers after preparation and before use.

Group A 9.3g/100ml (0.25M) Al(NO3)3.9H20 + red food dye (or Methyl orange but not eosin)
Group B 11.8g/100ml (0.5M) Ca(no3)2.4H2O +red food dye (or Eosin, but not Methyl Orange)
Group AB Eual amounts of Group A and Group B
Group O H2O + red food dye (or Methy orange)

Hope this helps, I do not have the full book only this page.

Hi Maree,

The St. John's have a 100g tube of Laerdal artificial blood concentrate available at around $28 (item no in WA is 5339). Can be greatly diluted as, like blood, a little goes a long way.
As far as I'm aware it's non-toxic and it saves mucking around with stains to get authentic-looking blood.

Cheers,
Fran