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Treatment Log

Definition

The contemporaneous written record of every chemical method applied to an item of evidence, including reagent batch, examiner identity, date/time, and result; required for disclosure under CPIA (UK), BNSS (India), and Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (US).

Related terms

Alpha-Amino Acids
Molecules bearing an amine group on the carbon adjacent to the carboxyl group; the primary molecular target of ninhydrin, DFO, and indanedione...
DFO (1,8-Diazafluoren-9-One)
A fluorescent ninhydrin analogue used for latent fingerprint development on porous surfaces; excite at 450-470 nm (with secondary absorption extending into the...
HFE (Hydrofluoroether)
A class of solvents used as carriers for ninhydrin, DFO, and indanedione formulations; lower toxicity and flammability than older acetone or ethanol...
Indanedione-Zinc
A fluorescent amino acid reagent (indane-1,3-dione complexed with zinc chloride) that produces an orange-yellow fluorescent product; reported to be more sensitive than...
Ninhydrin
A chemical reagent (2,2-dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione) that reacts with alpha-amino acids in latent print residue to produce a purple-blue compound (Ruhemann's Purple); the primary...
Physical Developer (PD)
A multi-bath silver-deposition wet-chemistry method that deposits silver metal onto fatty latent print residue on porous surfaces; the only technique that recovers...
Ruhemann's Purple
The purple-blue condensation product formed when ninhydrin reacts with alpha-amino acids; the visible development indicator used in latent fingerprint examination on paper...
Sequential Processing
The application of chemical development methods in a fixed, evidence-preserving order that maximises cumulative recovery while preventing earlier treatments from destroying the...
Vacuum Metal Deposition (VMD)
A technique in which gold and zinc are sequentially evaporated in a vacuum chamber; the gold deposits uniformly while zinc nucleates differentially...

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