CLPEX Chat Board

Has anyone had any luck using RTX on money, specifically U.S. Currency? We use the standard procedure of DFO, NIN, ZC, PD at our lab for processesing money, however, our currency is mainly made up of cotton (about 75%) and other materials. I would like to get this validated at my lab if possible, please include any articles or studies that you might know of.

Thanks,
Anthony

Here are early references to RTX:

RTX: A New Ruthenium Tetroxide Fuming Procedure, Mashiko, Kenzo, Edward R. German, Kenji Motojima and Charles D. Coleman, Journal of Forensic Identification, 41:6, (1991)

Latent Fingerprint Processing by the Ruthenium Tetroxide Method, Mashiko, Kenzo and Takashi Miyamoto, Journal of Forensic Identification, 48:3 (1998)

Latent Fingerprint Processing by the Ruthenium Tetroxide Method: Letter, Blackledge, Robert D., Journal of Forensic Identification, 48:5 (1998)

Latent Print Processing by the Ruthenium Tetroxide Method: Response, Mashiko, Kenzo, Journal of Forensic Identification, 49:2 (1999)

Evaluation of Iodine-Benzoflavone and Ruthenium Tetroxide Spray Reagents for the Detection of Latent Fingermarks at the Crime Scene, Flynn, Katherine, Philip Maynard, Eric Du Pasquier, Chris Lennard, Milutin Stoilovic and Claude Roux, Journal of Forensic Sciences, 49:4 (2004)

Safe New Formulation for Ruthenium Tetroxide (RTX), Mashiko, Kenzo, Fingerprint Whorld, 31:121 (2005)

Fingerprint Recovery from Human Skin Surfaces, Trapecar M. and J. Balazic, Science & Justice (Journal of the Forensic Science Society), 47:3 (2007)

I have read these but they really do not specify using RTX on money, and the research I have done recommends the standard porous techniques with PD being the best. Looks like a start from scratch validation study is in order.

In the immortal words of an expert:

My suggestion would be to devise a plan of experimentation using various papers and various carriers for Nin. Make a blank spreadsheet with your plan. Conduct a series of experiments. If necessary, refine the experiment and conduct a second series of experiments. Fill in the blanks on your spreadsheet. Publish it. Put the research and the published paper on your CV. Present it at an IAI conference and put that on your CV, too.

Go forth and do good things.

Cheers,
Pat

All with the obvious change of RTX on money instead of nin. I've found that if you can't find it, do it yourself so others will begin asking you about it.

I would suggest contacting somebody at the Secret Service. Honestly, if it involves processing currency, I wouldn't hesitate to ask anybody but them. Perhaps they've already tried RTX and didn't like it for one reason or another or may at least have some literature to share on trials.