3M™ Novec™ 7100 Engineered Fluid is being used as a carrier solvent in latent fingerprint development on porous surfaces.

It is a selective solvent – as demonstrated by its inertness to most inks and does not dissolve the amino acids transferred to the porous substrate in a fingerprint. It’s surface tension is much lower than hydrocarbon solvents like petroleum ether (13.6 mN/m vs. 20 mN/m), allowing Novec 7100 to more easily and thoroughly carry dissolved Ninhydrin or DFO to where it is most useful-namely the edges of the fingerprint ridges. And because Novec 7100 does not absorb moisture, ridge diffusion on the print is minimised.

Novec 7100 has zero ozone depletion potential, low global warming potential (GWP), low toxicity and is non-flammable.

Instructions for use with Ninhydrin or DFO can be found here.

3M Novec Engineered Fluids are a new class of fluorochemicals derived from a technology developed specifically to balance performance needs with human concerns such as low toxicity, non-flammability and environmental acceptability.