A novel 1,2-indanedione-based bi-functional reagent was
designed and successfully synthesized by a high yielding, concise,
5-step protocol. Eccrine-rich, sebum-rich, and uncharged (fingerprints
that were not intentionally coated) latent fingerprints were
all developed with this reagent in a modified MMD protocol. In all
cases, positive images on paper substrates were obtained, strongly
suggesting the novel bi-functional reagent’s efficiency in detecting
fingerprint residues that contain both sweat (eccrine gland secretions
or amino acids) and oily substances (sebaceous secretions).
This reagent could be used as an alternative or in conjugation with
other bi-functional reagents in cases where sensitivity poses an
issue. Further studies regarding the effect of the side chain length,
AuNP dispersity, and optimization of the formulation protocol are
currently in progress.