The team of homicide investigators has investigated the causal factors of Sean Bean’s death and has been able to identify the contents of Mr. Bean’s stomach by conducting various indicative tests using chemical reagents on the substance. The indicators allowed the team to narrow down the possibilities to find out the contents of Mr. Bean’s last meal. Indicators are chemical reagents that help identify the presence of certain macromolecules in a solution. The team specifically tested for the presence of starch, monosaccharides, protein, and lipids; there was a possibility for each of the four to have been present in Mr. Bean’s dinner. The investigators initiated the test for protein using a chemical reagent called Biuret, an alkaline mixture …show more content…
There was no color change to violet on the extracted stomach fluid; instead, there was only a blue tint that indicated the test as negative. With this observation, the investigators concluded that Mr. Bean’s dinner did not have a protein component to it. The following test conducted tested for starch (a polysaccharide) using iodine. If starch were present in the fluid, then there would be a change in the liquid to a dark blue or brown color. Drops of iodine were added to the stomach extract, which quickly yielded a change in the liquid from clear and transparent to dark blue and opaque. From these results, it was concluded that starch was included in Mr. Bean’s meal. Monosaccharides, which are simple sugars, were tested for next by the use of Benedict’s solution. A small amount of the reagent was added to the fluidextract in a test tube and heated in boiling water for 10 minutes. If monosaccharides were present, then there would have been a significant change in color of the liquid from blue to orange after being