A New Trace Ferrous Metal Detection Reagent

Since the early 1970s there has been substantial use of the 8-hydroxyquinoline test for determining whether a person has handled a weapon [1]. This test, now generally referred to as the TMDT test [2], involves spraying the hands of a person suspected of handling a weapon with a 0.2% solution of 8-hydroxyquinoline in isopropanol and observing the sprayed area with ultraviolet light. If a person has handled a weapon to the extent that oxidized ferrous ion is transferred to the hands, a dark area is noted in those areas of contact. Often a pattern of the object handled will be apparent. A positive reaction must be recorded by photography, however, and attendant complications exist in the ultraviolet fluorescent photography which must be employed [3].