TY  - JOUR
AB  - Anecdotal evidence from forensic practitioners and studies conducted under controlled conditions have indicated that the reaction between 1,2-indanedione and the amino acids present in latent fingermark deposits is highly susceptible to ambient humidity. The addition of catalytic amounts of zinc chloride to the 1,2-indanedione working solution - usually in the order of 1:25 to 1:4 molar ratio (indanedione:zinc) - significantly improves the colour and luminescence of fingermarks treated under dry conditions but appears to have a negligible effect on fingermarks treated in humid environments. The results presented in this paper confirmed that zinc(II) ions added to the 1,2-indanedione working solution act as a Lewis acid catalyst, stabilising a key intermediate during a rate-limiting hydrolysis step. Furthermore, studying the reaction using a chromatography-grade cellulose substrate method previously reported confirmed that cellulose substrates play a major role in facilitating the indanedione-amino acid reaction by acting as a surface catalyst in the early stages of the reaction and by directing the formation of the desired luminescent product (Joullié's Pink). © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
AU  - Spindler, X
AU  - Shimmon, R
AU  - Roux, C
AU  - Lennard, C
DA  - 2011/10/10
DO  - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.06.005
EP  - 157
JO  - Forensic Science International
PY  - 2011/10/10
SP  - 150
TI  - The effect of zinc chloride, humidity and the substrate on the reaction of 1,2-indanedione-zinc with amino acids in latent fingermark secretions
VL  - 212
Y1  - 2011/10/10
Y2  - 2026/07/08
ER  -