Effect of Temperature on the Visualization by Digital Color Mapping of Latent Fingerprint Deposits on Metal. Issue 2 (21st November 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Peel, Alicia; Bond, John W.
• Is Part Of: Journal of forensic sciences. Volume 59:Issue 2(2014)
• Page Start: 490
• Page End: 493
• Publication Date: 2013-11-21
• Subjects: Medical jurisprudence -- Periodicals; Forensic sciences -- Periodicals; Forensic Medicine -- Periodicals; Gerechtelijke geneeskunde; Gerechtelijke chemie; Gerechtelijke psychiatrie; 363.2505
• DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.12344
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1198

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jfo12344-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Visualization of fingerprint deposits by digital color mapping of light reflected from the surface of heated brass, copper, aluminum, and tin has been investigated using Adobe^® Photoshop^®. Metals were heated to a range of temperatures (<italic>T</italic>) between 50°C and 500°C in 50°C intervals with enhancement being optimal when the metals are heated to 250°C, 350°C, 50°C, and 300°C, respectively, and the hue values adjusted to 247°, 245°, 5°, and 34°, respectively. Fingerprint visualization after color mapping was not degraded by subsequent washing of the metals and color mapping did not compromise the visibility of the fingerprint for all values of <italic>T</italic>. The optimum value of <italic>T</italic> for fingerprint visibility is significantly dependent of the standard reduction potential of the metal with Kendall's Tau (τ) = 0.953 (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). For brass, this correlation is obtained when considering the standard reduction potential of zinc rather than copper.</p> </abstract>