Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy
Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. Fingermarks are an important form of crime-scene trace evidence; however, their usefulness may be hampered by a variation in response or a lack of robustness in detection methods. Understanding the chemical composition and distribution within fingermarks m...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
2019
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | 10.26434/chemrxiv.7987247.v1 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76759 |
| _version_ | 1848763753249636352 |
|---|---|
| author | Boseley, Rhiannon Dorakumbura, Buddhika Howard, D.L. De Jonge, M.D. Tobin, M.J. Vongsvivut, J. Ho, T.T.M. Van Bronswijk, Bill Hackett, Mark Lewis, Simon |
| author_facet | Boseley, Rhiannon Dorakumbura, Buddhika Howard, D.L. De Jonge, M.D. Tobin, M.J. Vongsvivut, J. Ho, T.T.M. Van Bronswijk, Bill Hackett, Mark Lewis, Simon |
| author_sort | Boseley, Rhiannon |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. Fingermarks are an important form of crime-scene trace evidence; however, their usefulness may be hampered by a variation in response or a lack of robustness in detection methods. Understanding the chemical composition and distribution within fingermarks may help explain variation in latent fingermark detection with existing methods and identify new strategies to increase detection capabilities. The majority of research in the literature describes investigation of organic components of fingermark residue, leaving the elemental distribution less well understood. The relative scarcity of information regarding the elemental distribution within fingermarks is in part due to previous unavailability of direct, micron resolution elemental mapping techniques. This capability is now provided at third generation synchrotron light sources, where X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) provides micron or submicron spatial resolution and direct detection with sub-μM detection limits. XFM has been applied in this study to reveal the distribution of inorganic components within fingermark residue, including endogenous trace metals (Fe, Cu, Zn), diffusible ions (Cl-, K+, Ca2+), and exogeneous metals (Ni, Ti, Bi). This study incorporated a multimodal approach using XFM and infrared microspectroscopy analyses to demonstrate colocalization of endogenous metals within the hydrophilic organic components of fingermark residue. Additional experiments were then undertaken to investigate how sources of exogenous metals (e.g., coins and cosmetics) may be transferred to, and distributed within, latent fingermarks. Lastly, this study reports a preliminary assessment of how environmental factors such as exposure to aqueous environments may affect elemental distribution within fingermarks. Taken together, the results of this study advance our current understanding of fingermark composition and its spatial distribution of chemical components and may help explain detection variation observed during detection of fingermarks using standard forensic protocols. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:08:28Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-76759 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:08:28Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | AMER CHEMICAL SOC |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-767592019-11-19T06:46:29Z Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy Boseley, Rhiannon Dorakumbura, Buddhika Howard, D.L. De Jonge, M.D. Tobin, M.J. Vongsvivut, J. Ho, T.T.M. Van Bronswijk, Bill Hackett, Mark Lewis, Simon Science & Technology Physical Sciences Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry MASS-SPECTROMETRY INFRARED MICROSCOPY INITIAL COMPOSITION LIPID-COMPOSITION METAL-SURFACES FINGERPRINTS VISUALIZATION TIME RESIDUE Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. Fingermarks are an important form of crime-scene trace evidence; however, their usefulness may be hampered by a variation in response or a lack of robustness in detection methods. Understanding the chemical composition and distribution within fingermarks may help explain variation in latent fingermark detection with existing methods and identify new strategies to increase detection capabilities. The majority of research in the literature describes investigation of organic components of fingermark residue, leaving the elemental distribution less well understood. The relative scarcity of information regarding the elemental distribution within fingermarks is in part due to previous unavailability of direct, micron resolution elemental mapping techniques. This capability is now provided at third generation synchrotron light sources, where X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) provides micron or submicron spatial resolution and direct detection with sub-μM detection limits. XFM has been applied in this study to reveal the distribution of inorganic components within fingermark residue, including endogenous trace metals (Fe, Cu, Zn), diffusible ions (Cl-, K+, Ca2+), and exogeneous metals (Ni, Ti, Bi). This study incorporated a multimodal approach using XFM and infrared microspectroscopy analyses to demonstrate colocalization of endogenous metals within the hydrophilic organic components of fingermark residue. Additional experiments were then undertaken to investigate how sources of exogenous metals (e.g., coins and cosmetics) may be transferred to, and distributed within, latent fingermarks. Lastly, this study reports a preliminary assessment of how environmental factors such as exposure to aqueous environments may affect elemental distribution within fingermarks. Taken together, the results of this study advance our current understanding of fingermark composition and its spatial distribution of chemical components and may help explain detection variation observed during detection of fingermarks using standard forensic protocols. 2019 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76759 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01843 English 10.26434/chemrxiv.7987247.v1 AMER CHEMICAL SOC restricted |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Physical Sciences Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry MASS-SPECTROMETRY INFRARED MICROSCOPY INITIAL COMPOSITION LIPID-COMPOSITION METAL-SURFACES FINGERPRINTS VISUALIZATION TIME RESIDUE Boseley, Rhiannon Dorakumbura, Buddhika Howard, D.L. De Jonge, M.D. Tobin, M.J. Vongsvivut, J. Ho, T.T.M. Van Bronswijk, Bill Hackett, Mark Lewis, Simon Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| title | Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| title_full | Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| title_fullStr | Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| title_short | Revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| title_sort | revealing the elemental distribution within latent fingermarks using synchrotron sourced x-ray fluorescence microscopy |
| topic | Science & Technology Physical Sciences Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry MASS-SPECTROMETRY INFRARED MICROSCOPY INITIAL COMPOSITION LIPID-COMPOSITION METAL-SURFACES FINGERPRINTS VISUALIZATION TIME RESIDUE |
| url | 10.26434/chemrxiv.7987247.v1 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76759 |