NCJ Number
238369
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 62 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2012 Pages: 143-153
Date Published
April 2012
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the usefulness of bromophenol blue on soils from several locations in Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
The enhancment of two-dimensional shoe impressions, where the matrix is soil, may best be approached using chemistry. Potassium thiocyanate, which reacts with iron particles in soil, is a generally accepted development medium used by forensic investigators. Bromophenol blue, a pH indicator that reacts with carbonates in soil, is used, but with less frequency, particularly in North America. This study compared both chemistries and their ability to enhance two-dimensional shoe impressions deposited from a variety of soil samples on varying substrates. Bromophenol blue, although determined to be an inappropriate enhancement technique for brown paper samples, provided significantly more detailed enhancement than potassium thiocyanate with other tested substrates, including plastic and linoleum. (Published Abstract)