NCJ Number
216803
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 1329-1333
Date Published
November 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study compared three solvent systems for the simultaneous extraction and derivitization with ethyl chloroformate of selected amino and fatty acids (latent fingerprint components) from a nonporous substrate for subsequent analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Abstract
The investigation demonstrated that it is possible to extract and analyze both amino and fatty acids from latent fingerprints with a single system. This has not been previously achieved in latent fingerprint chemistry studies. All five amino acids and four fatty acids deposited were successfully extracted from Mylar (the nonporous substrate), using each of the three extraction methods. For the amino acids, with the exception of valine, the highest recoveries were obtained with Method 1, which involved a 500 ml 1-percent aqueous sodium hydroxide-ethanol-pyridine 75:40:10 solution. This was followed by Method 3--a solution of 200 ml acetonitrile, 200 ml 0.1 M HCl, and 100 ml ethanol--and Method 2 for methionine and phenylalanine. Method 2 was a solution of 200 ml hexane, 200 ml 0.1 M HCL, and 100 ml ethanol. In the case of aspartic acid, Method 2 gave a higher recovery than Method 3. For each solvent system, there was variation in recovery between the various amino acids. For the fatty acids, Method 1 gave the highest recoveries. Following the demonstration that amino and fatty acids deposited on a nonporous substrate can be simultaneously extracted and analyzed, the method was applied to latent fingerprint residue. Method 1 yielded the greatest recoveries in general for both amino and fatty acids and was therefore applied to latent fingerprint residue to determine its potential application. 2 figures, 2 tables, and 19 references