Title:

Age of Fingerprints Established Through Ambient Ozonolysis of Unsaturated Triacylglycerols

Age of Fingerprints Established Through Ambient Ozonolysis of Unsaturated Triacylglycerols Jessica Douillette By measuring the level of Fatty Acids and other compounds present within the residue of fingerprint, after a certain number of days, a trend can be identified relating to the age of the fingerprint. This trend can be applied to the investigation of a crime scene to aid in the elimination of possible suspects. Specifically, the unsaturated fatty acids found in the residue of a finger print can be extracted with chloroform and measured using mass spectrometry imaging. Within the experiments, the same fingerprint was left in a controlled environment but for a different number of days and the levels of the unsaturated fatty acids extracted from each different day was compared. Visually the trend showed that after each addition day that the fingerprint was left out in the open environment, the level of unsaturated fatty acids decreased. Further research was done to identify the cause of such trend, and it was determined that the ozonolysis of the triacylglycerols in the residue was affecting the levels of the unsaturated fatty acids. The other components of the residue, though not related to the age of the fingerprint specifically, may be linked to identifying possible characteristics of the belonging individual. This leads to possible additional research that can relate the compounds in the residue to an individual’s gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle.

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