DEVELOPMENT OF

LATENT PRINTS
COMPOSITION
OF FINGERPRINTS
Sweat
99.0-99.5 % water
0.5-1.0% solids
50% organic solids (mostly amino acids)
50% inorganic solids (NaCl and KCl)
Contaminants
Bodily fluids (blood, saliva, nasal secretions,
semen, etc.)
Oils and fats (sebum)

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Patent fingerprints – visible prints left on a smooth surface
when blood, ink, or some other liquid comes into contact
with the hands and is then transferred to the surface.

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Plastic fingerprints – actual indentations left in some soft
materials such as clay, putty, wax, or dust.

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Latent fingerprints – fingerprints that are invisible to the
naked eye and caused by the transfer of oils and other bodily
secretions onto a surface. They can be made visible by
various different methods.

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FINGERPRINT POWDERS
 Applied lightly to a
nonabsorbent surface with a
soft brush.
 They readily adhere to sweat
residues and/or deposits of
body oils left on the surface.
 Investigators need to prevent
damaging the print when
trying to develop it

Did you know? Camel hair is the most common animal

hair used to make fingerprint brushes. Now many 11
brushes (like the one above) are made out of fiberglass.
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THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT
FINGERPRINT POWDERS…
 Fineness
 The powder must be fine enough to show the detail of the fingerprint. Finer
powders would be theoretically capable of displaying greater detail than coarser
powders.
 Adhesion
 The powder must display the right level of adhesion, so that it will adhere to the
residue of the fingerprint (often oils) and not adhere to the rest of the surface
where it would obscure the view of the print. When a powder coats a surface, this
is known as 'painting'.
 Sensitivity
 Sensitivity is related to adhesion, and is how well the powder adheres to a
surface. For example, aluminum flake is more sensitive than aluminum powder,
but greater sensitivity is not always desirable. Color The fingerprint powder must
be a suitable color for the surface in question.
 Flow
 To a lesser extent, it is important that the powder can flow, and does not 'cake'
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into a solid block, which would render it useless.
FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
Ninhydrin – reacts with amino acids in sweat to form
purple-blue prints. A 0.6% solution (in ethanol) is
sprayed onto porous surfaces such as paper.

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 amino acids in fingerprints
R

O O O
H2N C COO

OH H
N
OH

O O O

Ninhydrin Ruhemann's Purple Complex

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FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
(CONTINUED)

 Physical Developer – silver nitrate-based liquid reagent used on

porous surfaces. It is often used as the last resort because it destroys
protein.
 Cyanoacrylate (superglue) fuming – developed in 1982 by
Japanese Police. It is used on a variety of materials not only to
visualize latent prints, but also to semi-permanently affix them to
the surface. Works best on nonporous surfaces. Can be developed
further with powders or fluorescent dyes

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FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
(CONTINUED)

DFO (1,8-diazafluotrn-9-one) – newer

replacement chemical for ninhydrin. It is
2.5 times more sensitive than ninhydrin.
Rhodamine 6G is a fluorescent dye that
may be used after cyanoacrylate fuming
to visualize latent prints under laser light.

Once fluorescent dyes are applied,

fingerprints can then be visualized using
an Alternate Light Source (ALS) in an
effort to enhance ridges and minimize
background interference
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FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
(CONTINUED)

Iodine fuming – one of the oldest latent print

development methods. Solid iodine crystals sublimate
and the vapor will react with fatty oils and some sweat
residue. Iodine prints are not permanent and will begin
to fade once the fuming process is stopped. Can be used
on porous and nonporous surfaces

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FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
(CONTINUED)

Gentian violet (or crystal violet) –

used for developing latent prints on the
adhesive side of tape. An aqueous
solution of crystal violet is sprayed
directly onto the adhesive.
Wetwop is another solution developer
that can be used on adhesive surfaces.

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 FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
(CONTINUED)

Amido Black – protein dye stain that can develop faint

bloody fingerprints on porous and nonporous surfaces.
Blood must be swabbed prior to amido black application
for any DNA analysis

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FINGERPRINT CHEMICALS
(CONTINUED)

LCV (Leuco Crystal Violet) – a protein stain spray

that can develop faint or invisible bloody fingerprints
on non-porous surfaces

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LUMINOL
A chemical that reacts with hemoglobin to produce the
phenomenon of chemiluminescence (same as fireflies!)
Can be sprayed where nothing is visible. Under UV
light, blood or bodily fluids glow

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OTHER CHEMICAL
DEVELOPERS…
Sticky-side powder – paste made with powder that is
used after cyanoacrylate fuming and on the sticky side of
tape
Basic Yellow 40 – another fluorescent technique for
nonporous surfaces or post-cyanoacrylate fuming
DAB – Diaminobenzidine formula – another blood
enhancement technique
Small particle reagent – useful on wet surfaces such as
plastic bags or coated surfaces – adheres to the fatty
deposits in fingerprints
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PRESERVATION OF
DEVELOPED LATENT PRINTS
Photograph!!
Covering the print to preserve it in its entirety (if on a
small object)
Lifting the prints with adhesive tape and placing the tape
with prints on a card with labels

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FACTORS AFFECTING
FINGERPRINTS
Age – thinner epidermis, flattening of dermal papillae,
creases, etc.
Fine ridge structure – less skin contact leads to a spotty
appearance.
Stimuli – sweating can be due to warmth, exertion,
fever, drugs, anxiety, tension, pain, or spicy foods.
Occupational and medical condition – teaching, and
other positions in which a person handles or shuffles
papers, can cause fine ridge structure.

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FACTORS AFFECTING
FINGERPRINTS (CONTINUED)

Transposal factors
Receiving surface texture
Contaminants on the hands
Contaminants on the receiving surface
The manner of contact
The amount of pressure
Environmental factors
Temperature
Humidity
Handling

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TRENDS WITH
FINGERPRINTS
It is NOT possible to determine the age, sex or race of an
individual solely from their fingerprints. However:
Statistically in young adults, friction ridges of women
are significantly finer than those of men.
Fine ridges may be found in the very young and the very
old.
Manual labor tends to strengthen ridges.
Women tend to perspire at a lower rate than men.
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is lower for women.
Creases are more common in women's FPs.
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AFIS

Database of fingerprints taken from arrests and

unknown fingerprints found at unsolved crime scenes
Investigators enter both known and unknown prints
and identify the minutiae
When an unknown print is entered into AFIS, the
minutiae are identified and the computer crosses
them with known offenders
THE INVESTIGATOR MAKES THE LAST
DECISION on a match

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