Abstract

Latent fingerprints are an important form of forensic evidence and can be used for the identification of an individual. Latent fingerprints are by their nature invisible and a variety of techniques are used to enhance them and permit identification. Understanding latent fingerprint chemistry will aid the development of novel and improved enhancement techniques. In this study a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed and optimised which permitted the simultaneous analysis of 16 amino acids in aqueous solution. The potential to apply this LC-MS method to the analysis of amino acids in latent fingerprints, which to date has not been previously achieved, was demonstrated. This project was a summer studentship funded by the British Mass Spectrometry Society.