Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) has been used in combination with 1,2-indanedione (1,2-IND) and ZnCl2 (Zn) to develop latent fingermarks. The results show that the optimal ratio of 1,2-IND/Zn:PVP is 1.0:0.4 (the concentration of PVP is 8%) for developing fingermark. The developed formulation was tested on the surfaces of 12 kinds of thermal papers. The variation in the fingermark development efficiency was observed within the same and among different kinds of thermal papers. The fingermark development efficiency was mostly better on the thermally sensitive surface compared to the thermally nonsensitive surface. However, similar or even better development was observed from a few thermally nonsensitive surfaces. The present method has shown better efficiency compared to the three other proposed methods on the thermally sensitive surface. In contrast, the present method was proven not the best for the thermally nonsensitive surface.
Keywords: 1,2-indanedione/zinc; forensic science; polyvinylpyrrolidone; thermal paper; thermally nonsensitive surface; thermally sensitive surface.
© 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.