FORENSIC 2 – SEMI FINALS

CHAPTER 3 PART 1
THE EVIDENCE AND STANDARD PRINTS

LATENT FINGERPRINT TECHNIQUES

2. CHEMICAL DEVELOPMENT
A visual chemical reaction between the reagent and one or more of the constituents of human perspiration, to yield to a colored,
luminescent, or radioactive product. In this manner the ridge detail becomes visible and the prints can be photographed and further manipulated .

 IODINE FUMING - A development method which involved process of sublimation and absorption. The iodine crystal is capable of
fuming to gas without passing the liquid state, thus it is subjected to heat the process of sublimation becomes faster and such will liberates a
violet iodine vapor which will be absorbed by the fingerprint secretion residues producing a yellow brown prints

 CYANOACRYLATE FUMING - This method is used for the development of latent prints on surfaces as diverse as plastics, electrical
tape, and garbage bags. Styrofoam, carbon paper, etc

 CYANOACRYLATE (SUPERGLUE) - Cyanoacrylate vapor develops fingerprints on a wide range of surface. It produces a white
deposit as a result of polymerization with the latent fingerprint. Water acts as a catalysts for the polymerization.

 IODINE DUSTING METHOD - Iodine crystals are found into fine grain powder and dusted onto the surface containing latent
fingerprints with a fingerprint brush.

 IODINE FUMING GUN METHOD - It is conducted using either a glass of hard plastic tube. Fresh calcium chloride crystals should be
used as a drying agent.

 SILVER NITRATE - Silver nitrate is probably the oldest known chemical technique for fingerprint detection on porous surfaces such as
paper. The technique is effective for detecting fresh finger marks on most paper surfaces and untreated wood. Silver nitrate reacts with
chlorides contained in latent fingerprints producing silver chloride, which when exposed to light turns to a dark gray.

However, loss of fingerprint detail tends to be observed with relatively old prints (one week) developed with silver nitrate due to the diffusion of
chlorides through the substrate. Another disadvantage with the reagent is its strong background reaction which results in a darkling of the
substrate with time.

A typical working solution of the reagent is two per cent (w/v) silver nitrate in methanol. The solution may be applied by immersion or with a
spray. After treatment, contrast between the developed fingerprints and the substrate is observed. Due to the disadvantages discussed above, and
the more sensitive procedures now available. eg, ninhydrin and DFO, silver nitrate is seldom employed in practice.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPER - This refers to the physical development is photographic process that is based on the formation of silver and
ferrous/ferric redox couple and the deposition of metal slats onto a latent fingerprints image.

A fingerprint development reagent that is effective on most paper surfaces and on untreated wood. The reagent is an aqueous solution of silver
ions, a ferrous/ferric redox (reduction/oxidation) system, a buffer and a detergent. The detergent prevents the premature deposition of silver ions.
When the paper is immersed in this solution, silver metal is deposited on its surface. The silver metal is deposited preferentially on any
fingerprints present and such prints become visible as dark grey ridges against a light grey background.

On wet paper or paper which has been wet, PD is one of the only techniques which can permit the satisfactory development of latent prints. The
reagent may also be used as a treatment after ninhydrin if the latter has failed to reveal useful prints on a dry paper surface. PD can improve
fingerprints partially developed with ninhydrin or develop prints not observed after ninhydrin treatment.

The PD technique presents some major inconveniences. It is destructive, components in the paper may react strongly with the reagent, and no
other fingerprint development technique is effective after PD treatment, except for the radioactive enhancement technique. The PD reagent is
delicate to prepare, it is a solution which is unstable since its efficiency is dependent on its very instability. A reasonable amount of experience is
required for its successful preparation and utilization. Despite these reservations, PD should be systematically applied at the end of any detection
sequence on paper.

SMALL PARTICLE REAGENT (SPR) - It consists of suspension of fine molybdenum, disulfide particles in detergent solution. The particles
adhere to fatty constituents of latent print residues and form a gray molybdenum disulfide deposit.
Latent fingerprints may be made visible by immersion in a aqueous suspension of an insoluble powder followed by rinsing with water. Small
particle Reagent (SPR) may be considered as a wet powdering method. The reagent is sensitive 46 to the sebaceous (non-water soluble)
compounds of the latent fingerprint and may be used on a wide range of non-absorbent surfaces, SPR is effective on surfaces which are wet- a
condition which excludes the use of conventional powders or reagents sensitive to the eccrine (water soluble) components of the latent print.
Treatment with The suspension is by immersion or vaporization (using a garden spray, for example) - the sample is then washed with water in
order to remove any excess reagent.

NINHYDRIN - The reaction of amines with ninhydrin to form the colored reaction product known as Ruhemann's purple was discovered by
Siegfried Ruhemann in 1910. Ninhydrin, as well as its analogues, reacts with the amino acid compound of the latent fingerprint deposit (eccrine
secretion) to give the dark purple product known as Ruhemann's purple (RP)
However, the value of ninhydrin for the development of latent fingerprints was not realized until 1954 when Odén and von Hofsten suggested its
use in criminal investigations. Ninhydrin is now the most widely used method for developing latent fingermarks on paper surfaces.

The chemical reactions involved are complex and, as a result, the development conditions need to be controlled if optimum results are to be
obtained. The method is very effective for the development of fingerprints on porous surface such as paper. However, some paper surfaces
(certain bank notes, for example) react strongly with the reagent and its use is limited in such cases.

Amino acids are stable compounds that, due to an affinity for cellulose, do not tend to migrate through a dry paper substrate with time. The
amino acid content of the eccrine secretion also appears to remain relatively constant. As a result, very old latent prints can be developed with
ninhydrin on documents stored under favorable conditions. The development of 30-year-old prints has been recorded.

A ninhydrin solution of approximately 0.5% weight per volume in concentration is required to develop fingerprints on paper. To obtain the best
contrast, ninhydrin developed prints should be photographed under white light with a green-yellow filter (560-580nm) fitted to the camera.

DFO - is an amino acid sensitive reagent that gives a pale pinkish-purple reaction product (lighter in color than that obtained ninhydrin). The
advantage of the reagent is that, without any secondary treatment, developed prints show a strong room temperature luminescence. In addition,
results are obtained within a very short period of (less than 30 minutes).

OSMIUM TETROXIDE - is a volatile oxidant that reacts with the double bonds present in the unsaturated organic components of the
fingerprint deposit (sebaceous gland secretion) to give a blank product. The treatment is by simple exposition of the object to the vapor given off
by the crystals of the reagent in an enclosed glass container. Development times may be from one to 12 hours and dark grey-black fingerprint
images are formed.

RADIOACTIVE ENHANCEMENT
When prints developed by the physical developer process are weak or show insufficient contrast due to background patterns or colorations,
radioactivity may introduced by transforming the metallic silver (deposited by the physical developer) into radioactive silver sulfide. The article,
after treatment by PD, is immersed in a solution of bromine and potassium bromide which transforms the metallic silver into silver bromide.
After being rinsed several times in water, the article is then treated with a solution of thiourea or sodium sulfide' which converts the silver
bromide into radioactive silver sulfide. It is then possible to develop an image of the fingerprint by autoradiography, treated fingerprint is placed
in contact with a film sensitive to radioactive emissions. The exposure time depends on the degree of radioactivity of the treated print and varies,
in general, from a few hours to several weeks.

Radioactive methods of fingerprint detection present several disadvantages which are inherent to the use of radioactive materials, the reagents
are expensive and specific safety measures must be taken. The use of such techniques is therefore restricted to specialized laboratories. However,
the remarkable results that can be obtained with these methods justify their application under certain circumstances.

MULTIMETAL DEPOSITION
This technique combines the principles of a small particle reagent and of a physical developer and was developed under the name of
"Multimetal Deposition" (MMD). The development is achieved in two steps, the first being immersion of the object to be treated in a solution of
tetrachloroauric acid (gold chloride) where the active constituent is colloidal gold. The use of colloidal gold is an established technique in
biochemistry for the detection of proteins, peptides and, by extension, amino acids. It is now known that colloidal gold, at a certain pH (2.5 and
3.9), binds to the amino acids, peptides, and proteins in the latent fingerprint deposit to give a weakly gold metallic outline of the ridges. In some
cases, identifiable prints are obtained after this first step.

The second step involves the treatment of prints developed by the "colloidal gold" process with a modified Physical Developer solution. The
bound colloidal gold provides a nucleation site around which silver precipitates from the PD solution. This step greatly amplifies the visibility of
the print which, after this second treatment, can vary in color from light grey to almost black. One advantage of the Multimetal Deposition
technique is that it can be incorporated into fingerprint reagent sequences, as will be discussed later.

Many types of surfaces, porous or non-porous, wet or dry, can be treated by this technique. Examples are, metal objects, wet and dry paper,
plastic, glass, styrofoam, both sides of adhesive tape, and floppy disk surfaces. Fingerprints in 4 blood may also be enhanced by the treatment.

Tests have shown that the method is particularly effective on plastic, glass, white paper, adhesive tape and expanded polystyrene. Prints up to
three years of age have been detected on plastic and white paper. On certain paper surfaces, MMD gave better results than the conventional
physical developer. On dry surfaces, however, MMD was generally not as sensitive as conventional techniques such as cyanoacrylate (non-
porous surfaces) or DFO (porous surfaces). UNIT 3: The Evidence and Standard Prints.

DEVELOPING REAGENT DETAILS

D.F.O.
 Used on dry porous documents and unfinished wood
 Reacts with amino acids and eccrine present in latent print residue
 Used prior to Ninhydrin
 Photograph with orange filter
 Regarded as capable of developing more ridge detail than Ninhydrin
 A fluorescence of the prints is obtained after baking the item in an oven at 100 degrees C, then viewing under an ALS.

Idanedione
  Used on dry porous items or unfinished wood
 Reacts to amino acids and eccrine present in latent print residue.
 Photograph with orange or red filter
 Ridge detail developed will fluoresce yellow
 Use post-treatment of Zinc chloride to improve the fluorescence of the ridge detail
 Cooling with liquid nitrogen also produces superior fluorescence of ridge details
 View under an ALS or laser

Ninhydrin
 Used on dry porous items especially paper and cardboard and unfinished wood
 Can also be used to enhance prints in blood
 Applied by dipping brushing or spraying
 Reacts to amino acids and proteins present in latent print residue
 Ridge details are stained a purple color
 Heat is used to obtain catalyzed dyed complex
 View under an ALS or laser

lodine Fuming
 Used on porous and non-porous surfaces and unfinished wooden surfaces
 Reacts with fatty and oily to visualize friction ridge detail
 This is a non-destructive technique
 The developed ridge detail disappears quickly so it is necessary to take photographs quickly

5-MTN
 Used on porous surfaces, especially paper and cardboard
 Reacts with amino acids to develop friction ridge detail
 Similar to Ninhydrin but develops a stronger purple than Ninhydrin
 Can be post-treated with Zinc chloride to make them more fluorescent
 Viewed under an ALS or laser

Physical Developer
 Used on porous surfaces especially paper and currency
 Effective on wet items
 Sensitive to sebaceous components
 Reacts with components of friction ridge secretions, fatty or oily contaminants and lipids
 This is a multi-solution, multi-step process
 Can be used as a follow-up to Ninhydrin case

Zinc Chloride
 Used on porous surfaces
 Photograph with red or orange filter
 Can be used after Ninhydrin, 1,2-Indandione and 5-MTN to enhance prints
 Zinc chloride treated Ninhydrin ridge detail is color-shifted to an orange color, and Zinc chloride treated 5-MTN ridge detail is color-
shifted to a reddish-purple color
 View under an ALS or laser
Cyanoacrylate Ester
 Used on non-porous surfaces
 An item for processing is placed within an enclosed chamber
 Fumes from the active ingredient of cyanoacrylate ester polymerizes on the components of the impression's residue creating a white
impression
 Use of post-cyanoacrylate dye stains or powders may improve the visualization of the developed detail
 View under an ALS or laser

Gentian Violet
 Used on non-porous surfaces, especially the adhesive side of tapes
 May be applied to surfaces that are contaminated with oils and grease
 Sensitive to Epithelial skin cells, Sebaceous lipids & Proteins
 Dye staining process using a water-based working solution
 Evidence is repeatedly stained and rinsed until optimum development occurs
 View under an ALS or laser

Small Particle Reagent

 Used on non-porous surfaces
 Effective on wet surfaces
 Sensitive to Sebaceous lipids & fatty components
 View under an ALS or laser
Basic Yellow 40
 Used on non-porous substances
 Can be used post-cyanoacrylate
 Use a yellow filter to photograph
 Use an ALS or laser to view prints

Silver Nitrate
 Used on porous surfaces (wood) that have not been wet
 Reacts with chlorides and salt components
 Process works by having sunlight develop the impression detail treated with the working solution
 Background staining is a problem, thus the technique is not in wide use
 View under an ALS or laser
 Can use alcohol-based silver nitrate for waxy surfaces

Liqui-Drox
 Used on non-porous surfaces and dark colored tapes, on both adhesive and non-adhesive sides
 Use a yellow filter to photograph
 Post-cyanoacrylate process involving brushing the reagent unto tape and rinsing
 View the result under long-wave ultra-violet light

Liqui-Nox
 Used on non-porous surfaces and adhesive tape
 A laboratory glassware soap (detergent) that is used to create a soap/powder foam that is painted unto surface
 View under an ALS or laser

Sticky-Side Powder
 Used on non-porous surfaces and adhesive tape
 Can be used post-cyanoacrylate
 Considered to be a more economical alternative to other adhesive-tape processing methods

Ardrox
 Use on non-porous surfaces
 Fluorescent dye-stain used to make cyanoacrylate-developed latent prints more visible
 Photograph using a yellow filter
 View under an ALS or laser

Rhodamine 6G
 Used on non-porous surfaces
 Use an orange filter to photograph
 Fluorescent dye-stain used to make cyanoacrylate-developed latent prints more visible
 View under an ALS or laser

Safranin O
 Used on non-porous surfaces
 Use an orange filter to photograph
 Fluorescent dye-stain used to make cyanoacrylate-developed latent prints more visible
 View under an ALS or laser

Nile Red
 Used on non-porous surfaces
 Use an orange filter to photograph
 Fluorescent dye-stain to make cyanoacrylate-developed latent prints more visible
 View under an ALS or laser

Thenoyl Europium Chelate

 Used on non-porous surfaces
 Use an red filter to photograph
 Fluorescent dye-stain used to make cyanoacrylate-developed latent prints more visible
 View under an ALS or laser
 T.E.C. produces a brighter fluorescence of ridge detail with less interfering background luminescence than other dye stains such as
Rhodamine 6G and Ardrox

R.A.M
 Used on non-porous surfaces
  Use an orange filter to photograph
 Fluorescent dye-stain used to make cyanoacrylate-developed latent prints more visible
 View under an ALS or laser

Sudan Black
 Used on wet, non-porous and grease-contaminated surfaces
 Black dye that stains fats, oils, sebaceous components and contaminants of friction ridge residue
 Less than other wet item techniques in use
 Must be viewed under an ALS or laser

Gun Bluing
 Used on non-porous surfaces and brass cartridge cases (metal surfaces)
 Gun bluing contains cupric salt, selenious acid and an acid
 Oxidation and reduction reaction occur
 The reagent etches the cartridge's metal surface not protected by sebaceous- containing latent print residue and deposits a dark-colored
Cu-Se coating to reveal friction ridge detail
 Cartridges should be first briefly fumed with cyanoacrylate ester, then immersed into the gun bluing solution
 A water bath stops the chemical reaction

Acidified Hydrogen Peroxide

 Used on non-porous surfaces and brass cartridge cases.
 Acidified Hydrogen peroxide is used to clean lead from bullets and has been found to remove excess gun bluing from cartridges
 This reagent can also be used by itself to reveal friction ridge detail with less chance of over-development as compared to gun bluing
 The reagent etches the cartridge's metal surface not protected by sebaceous- containing latent print residue
 A water bath stops the chemical reaction
 Must be viewed under an ALS or laser

Amido Black (Water)

 Used on blood-stained non-porous surfaces, especially plastic
 Sensitive to blood proteins
 A dye staining process used to enhance the detail in faint bloody impressions
 The blood impressions are to be first "fixed" prior to the application of the dye
 View under an ALS or laser

Amido Black (Methanol)

 Used on non-porous surfaces
 A dye staining process, followed by rinse procedures.
 Used to enhance detail in faint bloody impressions.
 Bloody impressions should be 'dried' prior to staining with this reagent
 Must be viewed under an ALS or laser

Crowle's Double Stain

 Used on non-porous surfaces for blood enhancement
 A blue protein-stain reagent used to enhance bloody impressions that are visible and to develop latent prints
 The technique consists of a developer solution and a rinse solution
 Water is used as a final rinse
 View under an ALS or laser

Leucocrystal Violet
 Used on porous and non-porous blood-stained surfaces
 Quick and uncomplicated method to enhance blood through the catalytic oxidation of the while fixing enhancing impression
 Other blood enhancement techniques such as Amido Black may be applied after
 this technique
 Must be viewed under an ALS or laser

Coomassie Blue
 Used on porous and non-porous blood-stained surfaces
 A dye staining process, followed by a rinse procedure used to enhance detail in faint bloody impressions
 "Fixing" of bloody impressions is not necessarily required prior to staining
 Contrast achieved with this reagent is not as strong as Amido Black due to the lighter color of the dye stain, and the development of
the surfaces' background
 View under an ALS or laser

Ultra-Violet Lamp
 Used on all surfaces (porous or non-porous)
 Non-destructive technique
 Detail is visualized either by turning darker upon absorbing ultra-violet light or by luminescent upon emitting ultra-violet light
  Yellow or ultra-violet light blocking filters are used during photography

Basic Red 28
 Used on non-porous surfaces
 Must be photographed using an orange filter
 A fluorescent dye-stain used to enhance cyanoacrylate-developed latent
 prints.
 A forensic light (ALS or laser) source is needed to view prints

Nickel Nitrate
 Used on porous surfaces
 Applied as post-Ninhydrin treatment in order to improve the contrast of the ridge detail for viewing and photography
 Two methods may be applied: the background may be made to fluoresce or the treated ridge detail may be made to absorb green-
colored light for viewing

Electrostatic Lifting
 Used on dry porous and non-porous surfaces
 Can be used for impressions in dust
 Non-destructive technique
 An electric field is developed on a sheet of lifting film which attracts dust particles
 to the film
 Dust impressions not visible to the naked eye are often recovered with this device

Visual Examination
 Used on all surfaces (porous and non-porous)
 Non-destructive technique
 Used to note the presence of visible detail
 Several natural and artificial sources and angles of light may be utilized in order to best visualize any detail that is present

Fluorescent Light
 Used on all surfaces (porous and non-porous)
 Non-destructive technique
 Use a forensic light source (ALS or laser) to note the presence of visible detail
 Improved viewing of the ridge detail is accomplished either by rendering the ridge detail darker upon viewing in an absorption mode
or through fluorescence of the ridge detail which is either rendered luminescent when exposed to the light or made fluorescent by the
addition of chemicals
Orange, Red or Yellow viewing barrier filters (viewing goggles) are used for viewing or during photography