Fluorescent Cyanoacrylate Monomers and Polymers for Fingermark Development

Cyanoacrylate esters with fluorescent side groups were synthesized and tested as agents for latent fingerprint development. Reactive monomers with benzyl, anthracyl, naphthyl, fluorenyl, propagyl, and cyanomethyl side groups were synthesized using the formation of an ethyl cyanoacrylate, anthracene adduct, followed by hydrolysis of the ethyl ester to the acid and esterification with a desired alcohol, and finally release of the monomer by retro-Diels-Alder with maleic anhydride. Monomers were prepared in high yield and purity as determined by spectral analysis. Attempts to synthesize these monomers from poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) by transesterification and depolymerization resulted in low yields and low purity. The synthesized fluorescent monomers were found to be effective for latent fingerprint development in solution forming clear fluorescent fingerprint images suitable for forensic fingerprint comparison. These monomers can complement the current use of the commonly used nonfluorescent ethyl cyanoacrylate monomers for fingerprint development.