What is the powder the police use to get fingerprints?

Mordent

Lots of different ones have been or are used. The main properties that are disired are; that it's fine, that it sticks to the oils left behind but not the surface that they're on, how sensitive the powder is (i.e. how light the print can be), the background colour - no use having a white powder on a white background, whether the powder can "flow" and doesn't cake.

As a result of so many properties, mixtures are often made of different materials. For instance two different white powders may be Haddonite White (titanium dioxide 4 parts, kaolin 1part, French chalk 1 part or titanium dioxide 60%, purified talc 20%, kadin lenis (light) 20%), or just plain chalk.

Two different black powders could be Haddonite black (lamp black 70%, graphite 20%, powdered acacia 10%) or just plain charcoal.

If you require more info check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerprint_powder

ret_roch_cop

There are a variety of different powders used in latent fingerprint detection. You can see what's available on the website for a company named Serchie.

mentor

Aluminium powder (dust) pure and simple.

Logic316

Nowadays they use a variety of mixtures, but years ago they simply used white talcum powder on dark surfaces, and black charcoal powder on light surfaces. These are usually still the main ingredients.

Jenny O

Allways thought it was Aluminium Dust

Keith

Fingerprint powder is composed of many different ingredients that can vary greatly depending on the formula used. Most black fingerprint powders contain rosin, black ferric oxide and lampblack. Many also contain inorganic chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, silicon, titanium and bismuth.

jet5249

Fingerprint powers have many different ingredients and different combinations depending in the surface it is to be used on.The person taking the prints have their own preference as to what they us.The exact ingredient's are also kept secret.

Soup Dragon

It is called Lightning powder and made up of many different ingredients depending on which sort of surface it will be used and comes in a variety of colours IE white power would be used on dark surfaces. Hope this helps.