Reagents for the Chemical Development of Latent Fingerprints: Synthesis and Properties of Some Ninhydrin Analogues

Abstract

In an attempt to design new reagents for the chemical development of latent fingerprints, a number of ninhydrin analogues were synthesized and their reactions with latent fingerprints on paper were studied. The ring-fused and substituted ninhydrins developed latent fingerprints with a sensitivity similar to that of ninhydrin. The most promising of the group was 2,2-dihydroxybenz[f]indane-1,3-dione, which developed latent fingerprints as dark green images with excellent resolution.

Fingerprint composition and aging: A literature review

“…The clarity of an enhanced aged fingerprint is the result of the original quality of the mark, rather than the result of changes over time [120,127,134]. It has been clearly shown that using the intensity of a successful enhancement as a guide for age estimation is an unreliable approach, as a fingerprint can "last for weeks at rather extreme conditions and still be easily detectable" [127].…”

Pharmaceuticals and related drugs

“…Dalrymple (449) advocates using a narrow-band-pass filter to isolate laser-induced luminescence of fingerprint residues. h o g et al (453) have synthesized a number of ninhydrin analogues to study their effectiveness in developing latent fingerprints. Greer (451) discussed the application of an argon-ion laser to the examination of different types of physical evidence including fingerprints.…”

Material and Method Developments for Developing and Lifting Latent Finger Mark from Wet Polymer‐Coated Metal Surfaces

“…The chemical substances in finger marks are lipids, amino acids, and inorganic compounds such as chlorides and phosphates . The presence of amino acids in finger marks is the basis of chemical methods such as ninhydrin reactions to make the marks visible . On the other hand, the lipids in the finger marks allow attaching pigment particles to these prints both in dry and wet states.…”

“…1 The presence of amino acids in finger marks is the basis of chemical methods such as ninhydrin reactions to make the marks visible. 2,3 On the other hand, the lipids in the finger marks allow attaching pigment particles to these prints both in dry and wet states. There are already references explaining the principles and procedures of making finger marks visible using the powdering method in the dry state.…”