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Effect of Aging and Surface Interactions on the Diffusion of Endogenous Compounds in Latent Fingerprints Studied by Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Authors
  • O'Neill, Kelly C1
  • Lee, Young Jin1
  • 1 Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011.
Type
Published Article
Journal
Journal of forensic sciences
Publication Date
Jul 10, 2017
Identifiers
DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13591
PMID: 28691753
Source
Medline
Keywords
License
Unknown

Abstract

The ability to determine the age of fingerprints would be immeasurably beneficial in criminal investigations. We explore the possibility of determining the age of fingerprints by analyzing various compounds as they diffuse from the ridges to the valleys of fingerprints using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging. The diffusion of two classes of endogenous fingerprint compounds, fatty acids and triacylglycerols (TGs), was studied in fresh and aged fingerprints on four surfaces. We expected higher molecular weight TGs would diffuse slower than fatty acids and allow us to determine the age of older fingerprints. However, we found interactions between endogenous compounds and the surface have a much stronger impact on diffusion than molecular weight. For example, diffusion of TGs is faster on hydrophilic plain glass or partially hydrophilic stainless steel surfaces, than on a hydrophobic Rain-x treated surface. This result further complicates utilizing a diffusion model to age fingerprints.

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