Forensic application of the luminol reaction as a presumptive test for latent blood detection

The forensic application of the luminol chemiluminescence reaction is reviewed. Luminol has been effectively employed for more than 40 years for the presumptive detection of bloodstains which are hidden from the naked eye at crime scenes and, for this reason, has been considered one of the most impo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTalanta (Oxford) Vol. 72; no. 3; pp. 896 - 913
Main Authors Barni, Filippo, Lewis, Simon W., Berti, Andrea, Miskelly, Gordon M., Lago, Giampietro
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.05.2007
Oxford Elsevier
Subjects
Analytical chemistry
Chemical and thermal methods
Chemiluminescence
Chemistry
DNA typing
Exact sciences and technology
Forensic
Latent bloodstains
Luminol chemistry
Chemiluminescence
Forensic
Latent bloodstains
Luminol chemistry
DNA typing
Chemical analysis
Forensic science
Historical aspects
Interference
Review
Blood
DNA
Luminol
Reaction mechanism
Catalysis
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Summary:The forensic application of the luminol chemiluminescence reaction is reviewed. Luminol has been effectively employed for more than 40 years for the presumptive detection of bloodstains which are hidden from the naked eye at crime scenes and, for this reason, has been considered one of the most important and well-known assays in the field of forensic sciences. This review provides an historical overview of the forensic use of luminol, and the current understanding of the reaction mechanism with particular reference to the catalysis by blood. Operational use of the luminol reaction, including issues with interferences and the effect of the luminol reaction on subsequent serological and DNA testing is also discussed.
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ISSN:0039-9140
1873-3573
DOI:10.1016/j.talanta.2006.12.045