Genipin--a novel fingerprint reagent with colorimetric and fluorogenic activity

Genipin, the hydrolytic product of geniposide, which is extracted from gardenia fruit, shows good potential as a fingerprint reagent. It develops latent fingerprints on paper as blue impressions with good contrast and resolution. Even very faint impressions that are barely visible in ambient light will fluoresce brightly upon illumination at ca. 590 nm and are best viewed with a barrier filter above 630 nm. Potential advantages of genipin are the combination of colorimetric and fluorogenic activity in one reagent as well as its being a safe and environmentally friendly natural product.     

Fingerprint reagents with dual action: color and fluorescence

We define "dual fingerprint reagents" as chemical formulations that produce with latent fingerprints in one stage impressions that are both colored and fluorescent. Solutions containing ninhydrin and group IIb metal salts appear to be true dual reagents. Application of these formulations to latent fingerprints on paper is as efficient as the two-step process beginning with ninhydrin and followed by treatment with metal salt. In the color mode, fingerprint detectability with the two ninhydrin-metal salt reagents (one with zinc chloride and the other with cadmium chloride) is comparable with that of ninhydrin itself, in spite of the difference in color. The sensitivity is significantly higher in the fluorescence mode. To view the latent impressions the exhibits are treated with ninhydrin-metal salt reagents and observed under white light illumination and under fluorescence conditions. Cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature enhances the fluorescence considerably. In the shorter wavelength domain, ninhydrin-metal salt reagents exhibit higher sensitivity than the recently reported dual reagent, genipin. The latter is advantageous, however, in the longer wavelength domain, on paper items with strong self-fluorescence, such as brown wrapping paper or paper printed with fluorescent ink. Upon reduction of the ninhydrin concentration 10-fold, ninhydrin-metal salt formulations become purely fluorogenic reagents; no color is noticed but the fluorescence is as intense as with concentrated solutions. Working at lower concentrations is an advantage from ecological and economical viewpoints.     

热敏纸表面上汗潜指纹的显现

茚三酮溶液显现法是显现普通纸表面汗潜指纹的常用方法。但是由于热敏纸表面涂有热敏涂料,使得上述方法在该客体表面汗潜指纹的显现中难以奏效。不过,在此方法基础上改良发展而来的1,2茚二酮法、二甲基氨基肉桂醛法、过量丙酮冲洗法、半醇酮茚显现法等4种方法能取得较好效果。     

An investigation into the enhancement of fingermarks in blood on paper with genipin and lawsone

The abilities of two natural products, genipin and lawsone, to enhance blood contaminated fingermarks on papers of various porosities and colour were investigated and compared to the routinely used amino acid reagents, ninhydrin and 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO).Fingermarks in blood were deposited as a split depletion series on various paper types and colours for ageing periods of 6 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 weeks and 1 week before enhancement. The developed marks were observed under different lighting conditions, recorded and graded by way of attributing quantitative data to each series.Results indicated that while genipin showed some potential as a reagent for the enhancement of latent fingermarks, it displayed no suitability for the enhancement of fingermarks in blood on paper. Lawsone also failed to successfully enhance either type of fingermark. Upon comparison of the results with those of ninhydrin and DFO it was found that ninhydrin displayed the highest success rate of development of these marks.     

Synthesis and evaluation of ninhydrin analogues as reagents for the development of latent fingerprints on paper surfaces

Thirteen ninhydrin analogues have been synthesized and evaluated as amino acid-specific fingerprint reagents. All of the ninhydrin analogues tested developed latent fingerprints on paper surfaces in a manner similar to ninhydrin itself. The photoluminescent enhancement of prints developed with each reagent was assessed after treatment with zinc(II) or cadmium(II). The results obtained have been related to the effects of substitution on the ninhydrin skeleton. Two compounds in particular, 5-methoxyninhydrin and benzo[f]ninhydrin, were shown to offer operational advantages over ninhydrin on a number of difficult surfaces. Prints developed with either reagent show stronger room temperature luminescence after zinc(II) or cadmium(II) treatment in comparison with equivalent prints developed with ninhydrin. Both 5-methoxyninhydrin and benzo[f]ninhydrin have been shown to be effective on surfaces where background luminescence precludes the successful enhancement of ninhydrin-developed prints.     

Optimization and initial evaluation of 1,2-indandione as a reagent for fingerprint detection

1,2-Indandione has been used to develop fluorescent fingerprints on porous materials such as paper. The compound reacts with amino acid residues to produce highly fluorescent fingerprint ridges. An optimized formulation and treatment protocol for using the reagent is presented here. The reagent is applied as a solution in HFE7100 containing acetic acid and ethyl acetate. Treated articles are heated at 100 degrees C for 10 min at ambient humidity and stored in the dark before recording the fingerprints using fluorescence photography or digital imaging. Photodecomposition of the fluorescent fingerprints has been observed. Storage in the dark reduces degradation, extending the lifetime of the fingerprints. Other chemical methods to stabilize the fingerprints proved unsuccessful. Comparisons of the performance of 1,2-indandione with DFO in CFC113 performed on a limited range of substrates indicated that the reagent might be an effective method for the development of latent fingerprints despite the new reagent producing less intense fluorescence.     

Chemical development of latent fingerprints: 1,2-indanedione has come of age

The performance of 1,2-indanedione as a latent fingerprint reagent on some types of paper was found to exceed that of DFO, the leading fluorogenic fingerprint reagent. It even exceeds the performance of the sequence, DFO, followed by ninhydrin. No new prints could be observed when ninhydrin was applied after indanedione. On a large number of actual exhibits (used checks) indanedione developed 46% more identifiable prints than the sequence DFO-ninhydrin. A standard procedure for fingerprint development by indanedione is proposed. Best results are obtained with a 0.2% indanedione solution in HFE7100 solvent containing 7% ethyl acetate, but no acetic acid. It can be recommended to start using 1,2-indanedione, which is already commercially available, in actual fingerprint casework.     

一种新型指印荧光显现剂的研究

本文主要论述了新型指印荧光显现剂的基本原理、配方和实验结果.所配制的显现剂可显现牛皮纸、白纸、铜板纸、明信片等纸张上的指印,也可以显现塑料、油漆面、原木、乳胶漆墙面等客体表面的指印,使用方便、快捷.     

The thermodynamics of latent fingerprint corrosion of metal elements and alloys

Redox reactions taking place between the surface of a metal and fingerprint residue have been expressed thermodynamically in terms of both the Nernst equation for reduction potential and the complexation constant for the formation of complex metal halide ions in aqueous solution. These expressions are used to explain experimental results for the corrosion of 10 different metal elements by fingerprint residue in air at room temperature. Corrosion of noble metals, such as silver and gold, supports the proposition that the degree of metal corrosion is enhanced by the presence of chloride ions in eccrine sweat. Extending the experiments to include 10 metal alloys enabled the construction of a fingerprint corrosion series for 20 different metals. Fingerprint corrosion on metals alloyed with > approximately 40% copper was found to display third level fingerprint detail. A comparison of both conventional ink on paper and digital (Livescan) fingerprinting techniques with fingerprints deposited on 9 Karat gold alloy has shown that gold alloy depositions are least susceptible to third level detail obliteration by poor fingerprint capturing techniques.     

DMAC显现化学类纸张上汗潜手印的方法

目的找到一种显现化学类纸张上汗潜手印的有效方法。方法制作DMAC显现试剂并进行大量比对实验、外延实验。结论用该方法操作简便、效果较好。     

Thermal degradation analysis of amino acids in fingerprint residue by pyrolysis GC-MS to develop new latent fingerprint developing reagents

Conventional development of latent fingerprints is compromised when the prints are decomposed by extreme temperatures, such as those encountered when a weapon cartridge is fired, an improvised explosive device is detonated, and/or in arson cases. Understanding how these extreme temperatures alter the chemical and physical properties of latent fingerprint residue could aid in the discovery of a reagent that could effectively develop these decomposed fingerprints. To mimic scenarios where fingerprints may be exposed to high heat conditions, standards of the five most abundant amino acids in fingerprint residue as well as extracted fingerprint residue were pyrolized under controlled conditions. Compounds identified as pyrolytic decomposition products were 3,6-dimethylpiperazine-2,5-dione (from alanine), maleimide, and 2,5-furandione (from aspartic acid). The pyrograms and selected ion traces show these products to hold promise as indicators of decomposed fingerprint residues and, therefore, may serve as good candidate substrates for a developing reagent.     

The application of infrared chemical imaging to the detection and enhancement of latent fingerprints: method optimization and further findings

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) chemical imaging allows the collection of fingerprint images from backgrounds that have traditionally posed problems for conventional fingerprint detection methods. In this work, the suitability of this technique for the imaging of fingerprints on a wider range of difficult surfaces (including polymer banknotes, various types of paper, and aluminum drink cans) has been tested. For each new surface, a systematic methodology was employed to optimize settings such as spectral resolution, number of scans, and pixel aggregation in order to reduce collection time and file-size without compromising spatial resolution and the quality of the final fingerprint image. The imaging of cyanoacrylate-fumed fingerprints on polymer banknotes has been improved, with shorter collection times for larger image areas. One-month-old fingerprints on polymer banknotes have been successfully fumed and imaged. It was also found that FTIR chemical imaging gives high quality images of cyanoacrylate-fumed fingerprints on aluminum drink cans, regardless of the printed background. Although visible and UV light sources do not yield fingerprint images of the same quality on difficult, nonporous backgrounds, in many cases they can be used to locate a fingerprint prior to higher quality imaging by the FTIR technique. Attempts to acquire FTIR images of fingerprints on paper-based porous surfaces that had been treated with established reagents such as ninhydrin were all unsuccessful due to the swamping effect of the cellulose constituents of the paper.     

微晶荧光乳浊液显现血、汗指纹的研究

目的　显现非渗透性和半渗透性客体上的血指纹、汗潜指纹。方法　应用微晶小颗粒荧光乳浊液显现血、汗指纹。结果　对常见的各种非渗透性和半渗透性客体上的新鲜和陈旧的血、汗指纹均可显出。结论　该方法与传统的物理显现方法相比较在于显出效果基本不受指纹遗留时间和客体的性质及表面颜色的影响 ,并且此方法实用、可靠 ,同时该配方还可用于非渗透性和半渗透性客体上涉油指纹的显现 ,是常见客体上血、汗指纹显现的一个重要突破     

京尼平与茚三酮显现手印方法的比较研究

目的对京尼平与茚三酮两种手印显现方法进行综合评价。方法用两种方法显现不同遗留客体上不同遗留时间的手印,并对显现效果、显出手印的稳定性及纸张字迹油墨扩散等现象进行考察。结果京尼平与茚三酮有着相似的的显现原理、适用范围和熏显条件,但在显现效果、显出手印稳定性、试剂成本和安全性能方面存在差异。结论京尼平相比茚三酮方法更安全、绿色环保、显出的手印稳定性更强。     

Fingerprint pattern restoration by digital image processing techniques

Fingerprint evidence plays an important role in solving criminal problems. However, defective (lacking information needed for completeness) or contaminated (undesirable information included) fingerprint patterns make identifying and recognizing processes difficult. Unfortunately. this is the usual case. In the recognizing process (enhancement of patterns, or elimination of "false alarms" so that a fingerprint pattern can be searched in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)), chemical and physical techniques have been proposed to improve pattern legibility. In the identifying process, a fingerprint examiner can enhance contaminated (but not defective) fingerprint patterns under guidelines provided by the Scientific Working Group on Friction Ridge Analysis, Study and Technology (SWGFAST), the Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology (SWGIT), and an AFIS working group within the National Institute of Justice. Recently, the image processing techniques have been successfully applied in forensic science. For example, we have applied image enhancement methods to improve the legibility of digital images such as fingerprints and vehicle plate numbers. In this paper, we propose a novel digital image restoration technique based on the AM (amplitude modulation)-FM (frequency modulation) reaction-diffusion method to restore defective or contaminated fingerprint patterns. This method shows its potential application to fingerprint pattern enhancement in the recognizing process (but not for the identifying process). Synthetic and real images are used to show the capability of the proposed method. The results of enhancing fingerprint patterns by the manual process and our method are evaluated and compared.     

Mass spectra and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of the reaction product of glycine with 1,2-indanedione in methanol

The reaction products of 1,2-indanedione (a new fluorescent fingerprint reagent) with glycine in methanol, at room temperature have been studied using excitation and emission and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) has also been used to determine which compounds are formed. Reaction products were identified using GC/MS as 2-carboxymethyliminoindanone (MW=203 g) and 1,2-di(carboxymethylimino)indane (MW=260 g). Identified compounds show room temperature fluorescence lifetimes of tau(1)=7.69 ns and tau(2)=1.27 ns. It is not clear yet which compound is having fluorescence lifetime of 7.69 ns and which one is showing 1.27 ns.     

深、浅色小颗粒悬浮液显现汗潜手印的比较研究

实验采用氧化锌、二氧化钛、二硫化钼和四氧化三铁粉末,按照不同配方配制了4种悬浮液,对小颗粒法显现汗潜手印的试剂浓度、操作方法、对陈旧手印的适用性及小颗粒悬浮液的放置时间、对深色浅色客体、对光滑非渗透性客体、半渗透性客体和个别渗透性客体上的手印显现进行了研究和探讨。     

指甲花醌显现纸张上汗潜手印初步研究

目的介绍一种用天然植物提取成分指甲花醌显现渗透性纸张表面汗潜手印的方法。方法利用指甲花醌能够和手印遗留物质中的氨基酸发生显色反应来显现手印。结果显现出的手印纹线在自然光下观察呈紫褐色,并且在540nm激发光源条件下,通过红色护目镜观察还有很强的荧光特征。结论指甲花醌显现法具有安全性高、健康环保、操作简单、显现效果明显的特点。     

油红O显现热敏纸上潜在手印研究

目的建立了一种油红O显现热敏纸上客体表面的潜手印的新方法。方法将检材浸泡在配制好的油红O的显现试剂中,油红可将指纹中遗留的油脂染色从而显现出手印纹线。结果显现出手印纹线为红色,纹线连贯,反差明显。结论油红O能够有效地显现出热敏纸上潜手印。     

二氧化钛显现手印研究

目的建立应用二氧化钛的小微粒悬浮液来显现潜在手印的方法。方法选择6种不同客体,分别取普通汗和皮脂汗手印各40枚,各保存1天和7天,用二氧化钛小微粒悬浮液进行手印显现。结果保存1天和7天的汗潜手印显现结果没有很大区别,但皮脂汗手印显现效果好于普通汗手印。结论二氧化钛的小微粒悬浮液可以有效地显现出光滑非渗透性客体表面的潜手印。