5-Methoxyninhydrin: A reagent for the chemical development of latent fingerprints that is compatible with the copper-vapor laser

5-Methoxy-2,2-dihydroxy-1,3 indanedione (5-methoxyninhydrin), a relatively simple analogue of ninhydrin, exhibits excellent properties as a developer of latent fingerprints on paper. While visible development closely resembles that achieved with ninhydrin, fluorescence after zinc chloride treatment is considerably stronger than that of ninhydrin developed prints, particularly when excited by the green line of the copper-vapor laser.