CUTARAN, DIANNE KAYE G.

CHEM 1235
BS BIO 1-1

If I were a chemist, the first step I would take is hypothesize what caused the cow’s death. Given that
the cow is near the small pond before its death, the cow must have drank the water from the pond and
caused it. Next is for me to decide how much money and time I will put to this analysis, what instruments
and equipment I will be using and skills that I will apply. Next is to collect samples from the pond, the
sample must be representative of the population because you don’t want a sample that will give you a
skewed view of the population. Since the sample is a homogeneous mixture, only a single sample is
required. Using a grab sampler which consists of a metal container into which a small bottle is placed, the
top of the bottle is closed with a stopper connected to a link. It will be lowered until the desired depth and
the wire connected to the stopper will be jerked to open the bottle. Once filled, it will be automatically
sealed. The cable connected to it will lift the sample bottle. When collecting the sample it is important to
not touch the inside of the containers to avoid contaminations. The containers used must be well cleaned
before the sample collection to prevent contamination of the sample. The sample must then be sealed,
stored and transported in a refrigerated compartment. Once it arrives at the laboratory, the laboratory
sample usually needs to be further reduced and processed to make it more suitable for analysis. The
sample will then be measured for it’s volume and weight. It will then undergo necessary chemical
separation to eliminate interference and to completely isolate the intended analyte. The measurement will
be performed and lastly, the calculation and interpretation of results as to what caused the cow’s death.