United States Patent (19) 11 4,260,645 Kerr Et Al
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United States Patent (19) 11 4,260,645 Kerr et al. 45) Apr. 7, 1981 LATENT FINGER PRINT DETECTION 54 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 75 Inventors: F. Michael Kerr, Ottawa; Alan D. Sharp, D. W. A. et al., J. Chem. Soc., Part II, pp. Westland, Chelsea, both of Canada 1855-1858 (1956). 73 Assignee: Canadian Patents and Development C.A., vol. 63,9729d (1965). Limited, Ottawa, Canada C.A., vol. 48, 13520d (1954). 21 Appl. No.: 508 C.A., vol. 61, 6894g (1964). C.A., vol. 48,5704i (1954). 22 Fied: Jan. 2, 1979 C.A., vol. 53, 6866a (1959). 51 int. Cl.......................... B41M 5/00; C09K 3/30; C.A., vol. 48, 3080i (1954). C09K 3/00; G01N 33/16 Primary Examiner-Teddy S. Gron 52 U.S. C. .......................................... 427/1; 106/19; 106/21; 118/31.5; 252/182; 252/408; 422/61 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alan A. Thomson 58) Field of Search .................... 106/19, 21; 252/182, 57 ABSTRACT 252/408; 422/61; 118/31.5; 427/1 Latent fingerprints can be detected and visualized by 56) References Cited application to the suspected locale, of a solution, in a U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS volatile organic solvent of selected silver salts soluble in said solvent. Suitable salts include silver perchlorate 2,235,632 3/1941 Heinecke ............................... 106/21 3,075,852 1/1963 Bonora ..... ... 8/31.5 and silver trifluoroacetate. The solution is preferably 3,148,277 9/1964 Lewanda .. ... 8/31.5 applied as a spray. This non-aqueous solution minimizes 4,182,261 / 1980 Smith et al. ............................ 106/2: Smudging, "running', warping and other damage to water-sensitive material (usually inks, dyes and/or cel FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS lulosic substrates). 1428025 3/1976 United Kingdom.................... 18/31.5 1497791 1/1978 United Kingdom ........................ 427/1. 11 Claims, No Drawings 4,260,645 1. 2 (a) a volatile organic solvent, and LATENT FENGERPRINT DETECTION (b) a silver salt soluble in said solvent, sufficient silver ions being present to visualize a latent print, This invention is directed to the detection of, and (ii) evaporating the solvent, allowing reaction of sil visualization of latent fingerprints on various substrates ver ion with fingerprint material to proceed and photo particularly substrates which are susceptible to damage actinic effects to occur leading to visualization of the by aqueous systems. A non-aqueous organic solution is fingerprint, and provided containing silver ions which are able to react (iii) preserving or recording the fingerprint outline. with and become preferentially deposited on, the finger The components may be packaged separately as a kit print residual material. The solution is adapted to be O comprising sprayed onto the suspected substrate or fingerprint lo (a) organic solvent-soluble silver salt, cale with a propellant or by other suitable spray means. (b) volatile organic solvent for the salt; and DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART (c) means to spray or propel the solution onto a sub Strate. Current techniques for fingerprint detection utilize 15 reagents which interact with one or more of the compo DETALED DESCRIPTION nents in the fingerprint. The most commonly utilized The volatile organic solvent serving as carrier for the print components and reagents (especially for cellulosic silver ions, is chosen for its ability to dissolve silver substrates) are: salts, to readily evaporate, relative inertness with re (i) Amino-acid-sensitive reagents, particularly ninhy 20 spect to inks, dyes and cellulosic substrates, and low drin in various carriers. Some substrates such as coated toxicity and flammability. The hydrocarbon solvents, or papers (banknotes, documents etc.), rag-based papers, and some textiles are ninhydrin-positive, giving a back hydrocarbon components in the case of solvent mix ground reaction and inadequate contrast in many cases. tures, will necessarily have unsaturation present. Vola Depending on the carrier and the substrate, other limi 25 tile organic solvents which have been found to be the tations can be: low sensitivity, uncontrollable develop most suitable for our purpose include aromatics such as ment time, ink- or dye-"running', and high flammabil benzene, and unsaturated aliphatics such as 1-hexene. ity. They dissolve the selected silver salts to a substantial (ii) Chloride-sensitive reagents, particularly aqueous concentration (saturation is usually about 4 to 6%) and silver nitrate solutions. This reagent reacts with the 30 do not seriously "run' or smear most inks or dyes nor chlorides present in fingerprints to produce the highly distort most cellulosic substrates. Appropriate organic insoluble and light-sensitive silver chloride. The white solvents include benzene, toluene, xylene or mixed xy silver chloride decomposes actinically to deposit silver lenes, 1-hexene, and mixtures of methanol or ethanol and give a black image of the latent print. Defects of this with unsaturated aliphatics such as cyclohexene (stabi reagent include severe ink-"running', and high back 35 lized with sodium hydroxide as supplied commercially). ground reaction in some cases, leading to overall dark In the latter mixture, about 5 to about 50% by vol. ening of the whole substrate area. (iii) Fat-sensitive would be the cyclohexene or equivalent. This latter reagents, primarily iodine vapour or the recently re mixture is not to be used with silver perchlorate but ported osmium tetroxide (see RCMP Gazette, Vol. 40, may be used, e.g. with the fluoro salts. The toxicity and No. 3, 1978, page 28). An iodine source, e.g., iodine flammability of these solvents is acceptably low. The fuming pipe or iodine-saturated silica gel or iodine alcohol-containing solvent is preferred for low toxicity; loaded porous glass, is used to expose the latent print however it can lead to some smearing of ballpoint pen area to iodine vapour and usually a silver plate is then inks. Cyclohexene alone and 1-hexene are next in order pressed against the surface containing the iodine of preference for toxicity. Water-base inks and ballpoint saturated print residue, the exposed plate then being 45 inks are both stable to these solvents. Another solvent developed to reveal the image. These methods have which may be used is acetonitrile although this has some manipulative and toxicity difficulties so that pre increased smell and toxicity. Some unsaturation in at cautions and careful handling are required. least one component of a hydrocarbon-containing sol It would be desirable to have improved print-sensi vent has been found necessary. Mixtures of solvents can tive reagents which avoid at least some of the above 50 be used. difficulties. An improved chloride-sensitive reagent The selected silver salts are limited primarily by solu which avoids the ink-"running' problem and has mini bility, but stability, cost, availability, safety and other mal background reaction would be particularly desir factors enter in. The silver salts most suitable include able. silver perchlorate, and fluoro salts such as silver hexa 55 fluorophosphate, silver hexafluoroantimonate, silver SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION tetrafluoroborate and silver trifluoroacetate. In general, We have developed a chloride-sensitive non-aqueous any silver salt soluble in organic solvents to at least solution suitable for application to latent fingerprints for about 0.5% by weight would be operative. Mixtures of detection and visualization thereof, comprising two or more of these salts can be used. (a) a volatile organic solvent, and The concentration of silver salt in the organic solvent (b) a silver salt soluble in solvent (a), sufficient silver can range from about 0.5% by weight up to saturation. ions being present to visualize a latent print in one Desirably sufficient silver salt is present in the solution spray application. so that one spray application will deposit enough silver The invention includes a method for detection and to visualize the print. From about 1 to 3% by weight is visualization of latent fingerprints where the use of 65 usually suitable, preferably about 3%. These solutions aqueous media is detrimental, comprising are reasonably stable and have been stored for up to 3 (i) uniformly contacting the latent print area with a months or more without significant deterioration. The non-aqueous solution comprising solutions should not be stored in contact with most 4,260,645 3 4. metals since many metals can lead to deterioration by enough to make fingerprint detection in the vicinity of deposition of silver. the writing very difficult. These organic solutions are coated on the fingerprint As well as the above toluene-based spray other salt substrate or suspected locale in any convenient man solvent combinations have given good results as sum ner-usually by spraying. Mechanical spray means can marized in Table 1. be used or the solution can be contained under pressure with a propellant. Any of the standard propellants may TABLE SUMMARY OF FINGERPRINT RESULTS be used such as compressed air, fluorinated or chloro USING WARIOUS SILVER SALTS AND fluoro-hydrocarbons (e.g. a Freon (trademark) type), VARIOUS VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS CO2 gas, nitrous oxide or N2 gas, or a highly volatile 10 TOX- OTHER hydrocarbon (methane to butane). The latter are flam ORGANIC CITY OF COM mable and their use requires caution. Aerosol spray SILVER SALTS SOLVENT SOLVENT MENTS containers may be used as long as any metal is coated or 1. Silver Perchlorate Benzene High b not in direct contact with the solution. AgClO4. 15 2. Silver Perchlorate Toluene Moderate b A packaged unit or kit can be provided for conve AgClO4 nience, comprising interacting components 3. Silver Perchlorate Xylene or b (a) the organic solvent-soluble silver salt, AgClO4. Mixed Xylenes 4. Silver Perchlorate 1-Hexene FP b (b) the volatile organic solvent for (a) and AgClO4 (c) means to spray or propel the solution. 5, Silver Nitrate Cyclohexene- C The substrates for which these silver salt-organic 20 AgNO3 Alkanol 6.