table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................2

2 GENERALITIES.......................................................................................................................3

3 CHEMICAL TEMPERING ON METALS....................................................................................5

3.1 Structure of metals.......................................................................................................5

3.2 Number print................................................................................................................5

3.3 Deformation of metals.................................................................................................6

3.4 Foundation of the technique........................................................................................6

3.5 RECORDING DELETION METHODS................................................................................7

3.6 Conditions of the surface to be treated........................................................................8

3.7 Prior verification...........................................................................................................8

3.8 General procedure – Previous operations..................................................................10

3.8.1 1. Determine the type of metal of the piece to be treated................................10

3.8.2 2. Polish the surface to be treated......................................................................10

3.8.3 3. The metal is cleaned, degreased and/or the paint is removed.......................10

3.8.4 4. Chemical treatment........................................................................................11

3.9 CHEMICAL TEMPERING..............................................................................................11

3.9.1 REAGENTS FOR CHEMICAL TEMPERING.............................................................12

3.9.2 RESULTS..............................................................................................................16

4 CHEMICAL TEMPERING ON WOOD, LEATHER AND GLASS.................................................16

5 CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................................19

6 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................20

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Legal Chemistry CHEMICAL TEMPERING Saldaña Rocío

1 INTRODUCTION

In general terms, valuable objects are susceptible to criminal intent, more

precisely, theft. On such objects, whether a car, a weapon, furniture or simply
instruments of value to people, there are identifying marks that allow them to
be linked to their owners. Whether it is simple recognition by the latter, or
documents that accompany the product at the time of purchase.
Most of the time, once the criminal's intention has been carried out, the
theft of the object, what is sought is to hide the origin of these , being a very
common and necessary maneuver to carry out his mission, eliminating any
mark and information that allows linking the object with its owner.
Thanks to Legal Chemistry, Criminalistics, a science that has
competence and responsibility in assisting Justice in criminal acts, there are
currently techniques that allow obtaining that eliminated information that is of
utmost importance to guide and define a judicial investigation. Criminalistic
chemical laboratories are technically trained to regenerate, to a greater or
lesser extent, by physical and/or chemical procedures, identification marks that
have been illegally removed.

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2 GENERALITIES

This work is limited to addressing chemical regeneration procedures:

chemical tempering , and the supports currently most susceptible to the action
of erasure maneuvers for fraudulent purposes will be developed: metal, wood,
leather and glass.
According to the Royal Spanish Academy, revenir means “to return or
return to one's own state.” The term tempering is used to designate the
operation that allows the recording to be viewed again that, after having been
made on a medium, has been erased by various methods. The procedure
refers to a chemical treatment of the surface on which a previous recording has
been erased. All this, pursuing a single goal: identification.
The regeneration of a recording can be total or partial and the probability
of success of the operation will depend mainly on the following factors:
 Nature of the material that constitutes the original support of the
marking.
 The system used to make the recording.
 The technique used to adulterate or erase the original marking.
 Whether or not there was re-recording and under what conditions.
 Theft and illicit trafficking of vehicles is a common crime in
countries around the world. In fact, car theft, after illicit drug trafficking, is the
second crime that generates the most income.
 When a vehicle is stolen, in most cases the chassis number and/or
engine number, unique alphanumeric combinations worldwide for each
manufactured unit that identify it as such, are altered or erased totally or
partially, and many times Furthermore, re-recorded with the purpose of
separating the vehicle from its origin and marketing them, or using them in
some type of other crime.
In the same way, criminals operate with firearms, in terms of their theft,
trafficking and use in subsequent crimes. Firearms have an identification
number, known as a serial number, located in various places on it, at the
manufacturer's discretion, which allows it to be linked to its owner.

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This is where the restoration of the original number becomes necessary

to prove the identity of said objects.

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3 CHEMICAL TEMPERING ON METALS

3.1 STRUCTURE OF METALS

Metals have the particularity of possessing crystalline structures, in which

the electro nes of the last shells move freely around the nuclei surrounded by
the internal electrons, which have been llants rigidly located in a crystalline
mesh of form defined geometric ma. These positive ions remain powerfully
attracted by electrical forces, which are responsible for the rigidity of the
structures described. tas. The so-called “ metallic bond ” is the configuration
that metals present due to the arrangement of their atoms according to the
determined geometric system.

3.2 NUMBER PRINT

When an identification marking is engraved on a metallic material, this

engraving produces a recess in the surface of the metal, which consequently
sinks the metal, producing a compression of the molecules below the sinking
zone with the consequent alteration. tion of the crystallographic structure with
loss of homogeneity neity.
The methods used for stamping numbers are:
 Paint
 By emptying
 By writing with molten metal
 By laser engraving
 chemical etching
 By mechanical engraving (using metal stamps)
The latter being the chosen method in the automotive and weapons
industries.
Most common operation carried out by companies to stamp their
identifying marks: using metal stamps.

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3.3 DEFORMATION OF METALS

Because metals have a crystalline structure, they can suffer two types of
deformations:
- If the intensity of the applied force is of small value, once that force
ceases, the material recovers its original shape. This is what is known as “
elastic deformation ”.
- On the contrary, if the applied force is related to loads applied with
greater intensity, the material does not recover its primitive shape, after which it
is left with a quantity of stresses, called "residual stresses", which are due to
non-deformation. recovered. Here the so-called “ plastic deformation ” takes
place.
This last type of deformation is what occurs when identification markings
are made on metals.

3.4 FOUNDATION OF THE TECHNIQUE

Through the different marking methods, a plastic deformation is produced

in the metal that produces changes in its properties, such as mechanical
resistance, hardness, ductility, electrical conductivity, magnetic properties and
corrosion resistance, and consequently, when the surface is attacked with With
suitable chemical reagents, there will be a difference in the oxidation rate of the
metal and a differential relationship between the areas that have been engraved
and those that have not, which allows the original inscription to be visualized.
THE PRINCIPLE OF CHEMICAL TEMPERING IS BASED, THEN, ON THE FACT THAT THE
ALTERED METALLIC STRUCTURE PRESENTS A VARIATION IN ITS PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES, THEREFORE, IT WILL BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE ACTION OF DIFFERENT
CHEMICAL REAGENTS, GENERALLY CORROSIVE, THUS ALLOWING THE VISUALIZATION OF THE
ERASED INSCRIPTION.

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3.5 RECORDING DELETION METHODS

The forger who has illicitly seized the marked object intends to eliminate
the numbering by trying to remove the smallest possible amount of surface, in
order to eliminate the recording (totally or partially), eradicating the metal to the
bottom of the depression, in order to that the fraudulent maneuver goes
unnoticed.
When tempering, the affected part will be more easily attacked by the
reagents than the rest of the metal, due to the vulnerability that it has with
respect to other areas where no recording has been printed, thus causing the
regeneration of the number, letter or sign.
The forger generally uses abrasive physical methods to partially or
completely eliminate the original recording. Among them we can list:
1- Sanding : they produce parallel, shallow streaks that must be
hidden with paint or bluing.
2- Polishing : deeper grooves are observed, if a file was used, they
are parallel; If a polisher was used, they are concentric. The central part of the
affected area appears more depressed than the peripheral part.
3- Application of welds : method in which the surface of the mark is
filled with molten metal, leaving a protuberance that is then polished to optically
conceal it. This becomes evident when tempering begins when a differential
effect occurs between the original metal and the aggregate.
4- Electric stippling : it has a crude, rude finish, it is not interesting to
hide its maneuver. It is carried out with a metal tip, heated to red, making a
series of concavities over the marked area of sufficient depth to mask it.
5- Correction by addition : it is produced by adding strokes on the
numbers to transform them, the most commonly transformed numbers are: 1, 3,
6.

It should be noted that the aggressiveness of the technique used to

eliminate the identification number is a highly influential factor in the probability
of regenerating the original serial number.

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3.6 CONDITIONS OF THE SURFACE TO BE TREATED

For visualization by chemical tempering of the erased numbering to be

possible, the surface to be treated must be as smooth as possible since if the
adulterator alters it by deep scratches with a sharp element, or hits it with a
blunt element, leaving noticeable irregularities, It will not be possible for the
expert to clearly observe the faint temper lines that may appear.
On the other hand, if the adulterator carried out a thorough hammering of
the entire surface after polishing with the intention of erasing, chemical
tempering may not be possible since a disorder of the molecular structure will
occur, because if these blows are distributed uniformly over the surface will
provide a homogeneous distribution of the crystallographic structure.
If the adulterator produces a deep recess on the surface, it may eliminate
the entire strip of deformed crystalline structure, with which there will no longer
be a differential relationship when applying the reagents, which will make it
impossible to observe the tempering.
If the adulterator produced a re-engraving on the erased surface, this
may not interfere with the observation of the tempering, since it would be very
unlikely that he would find each figure exactly in the same place where the one
he erased was, because in general the tempering appears clearly visible among
the figures of the re-recording.

3.7 PRIOR VERIFICATION

The chemical expert, before starting the practice, must ensure that the
mark previously placed on the metal has effectively been erased .
It is common for chemical tempering expertise to be requested when
there was no erasing maneuver, which is why the expert will inform in those
cases that it is not appropriate to perform it. As well as requests for chemical
tempering when what there was was a modification of a figure due to rewriting
to some other maneuver that does not involve erasure, cases in which the
practice does not correspond either.
To avoid these requests, it is advisable to adopt the practice of primarily
carrying out a verification report, in which it is established if there is adulteration,

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what type of maneuver is used in it, if applicable, not the practice of chemical
tempering, and wait for the court order. to carry it out.
In this way, the chemical expert requires an expert verifier at his side, or
failing that, to become one. Verification consists of observing the engraved
numbering, comparing it with the original factory numbers of each make and
model of the vehicle or firearm, as well as observing:
 Size and shape of the dies
 Distribution of these in terms of alignment and spacing, since there
are factories that assemble the entire number and engrave in a single die, and
others that engrave die by die)
 The previous treatment of the surface, which can be polished,
fresh, rough, grooved, etc., this being another characteristic that is different for
each factory,
 The letters at the beginning of the numbering, which indicate
characteristics of series, models, years of manufacture, etc. and the shape of
the letters in such cases
The place where each factory practices recording, the element with
which it records, etc.

All this observation, with the purpose of being able to compare it with the
surface under study, and also, attend to those aspects that indicate alteration in
the numbering, such as:
 That present different morphology.
 Absence of linearity and homogeneity in the printing force.
 Modification of figures.
 Difference in distance between figures and figures.
 Metal surface scratched, roughened, sanded, altered.
This prior verification is essential before starting any chemical tempering
practice, since it is necessary that there is a numbering elimination, with or
without subsequent re-recording to practice an expertise.

3.8 GENERAL PROCEDURE – PREVIOUS OPERATIONS

It is necessary to highlight that prior to the tempering operation, the

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intervention of a Mechanical Expert (in the case of automobiles) or a Ballistic

Expert (in the case of firearms) is suggested since the tempering operation
affects the original characteristics of the object. and certain determinations or
observations on them cannot be made once the chemical tempering has been
carried out.

3.8.1 1. Determine the type of metal of the piece to be treated.

Previous tests must be carried out in distant areas, and witness pieces
must also be available. With one of these pieces the appropriate reagent will be
determined, then the surface to be treated will be prepared.
The different resistance offered by different metals to oxidative attack
determines the choice of the battery of reagents to be used in each case.

3.8.2 2. Polish the surface to be treated

To eliminate the apocryphal number, if it exists, and the grooves: in

general, a groove produced by the tool used to eradicate the original number is
usually observed on the surface, occasionally, and an apocryphal number on it.
Polishing must be done with great care in order not to eliminate the underlying
layer of metal that keeps the numbers and letters to be regenerated latent. As a
general rule, no more than 0.5 mm of thickness should be removed from the
metal to be treated. Polishing will be done with paper, cloth or fine-grain emery
paste.
In the event that the verifier confirms that the apocryphal re-engraving is
positioned on a stamping line that is out of phase with respect to the relative
position occupied by the original engraving, the sector where the factory
numbering was found should not be sanded, otherwise the lines of Abrasions
left by polishing mask the generally diffuse contours revealed by chemical
tempering.

3.8.3 3. The metal is cleaned, degreased and/or the paint is removed.

As a basic principle, the surface to be treated must be completely clean

to allow intimate contact of the reagent to be applied with the metal. Therefore,
if the metal is oiled, it must be thoroughly cleaned with organic solvents (ether,
chloroform, alcohol, acetone), and if it is covered by paint, varnish or lacquer, it
must be removed using a paint remover. , failing that, mixtures of organic
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solvents. Under no circumstances should excessively abrasive treatments be

applied that damage the surface of the metal while it is being cleaned. In some
cases it is advisable to use very fine grain wet sandpaper before beginning the
treatment, but only in the sectors adjacent to the stamping line, allowing any
other material that is not metal to be completely eliminated.

3.8.4 4. Chemical treatment.

The best results are obtained when a container with containment walls
molded in materials refractory to the action of acids is formed on the surface to
be treated (plasticine is the optimal material), which facilitates prolonged contact
of the reagent with the surface. metallic surface, while making it easy to replace
working solutions with water for washing.
It may occasionally happen that the counter has the stamping surface in
a vertical position; in these cases, if it is not possible to assemble a tray,
successive applications of a tow soaked in the reagent are chosen so that it
acts for sufficient time. This requires a much longer treatment time, since the
tow must be removed to renew the impregnation in the oxidizing solutions,
practically every 10 minutes, as the volume of reagent that actually comes into
contact with the metal surface is very small.
In all cases, the treatment is gradual, between application and application
of reagent and subsequent rinsing it is necessary to observe, with good lighting,
sometimes with a hand-held magnifying glass.
In most cases, the irregular wear of the metal surface caused by
mechanical operations that eliminate the original stampings conditions the non-
simultaneous recovery of the eliminated digits and variable periods of time in
which they remain legible. For this reason, to the extent that the first contours
are clearly visualized, they will be recorded and photographed.
When latent marks begin to appear, the surface is washed with water,
dried, and if necessary the procedure is repeated.

3.9 CHEMICAL TEMPERING

For the recovery of deleted numbering, whether on engines, chassis or

firearms in general. The guidelines to take into account are the following:
1) As long as the metal piece under test allows it. ta, a plasticine bucket
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will be built that outlines the sector in reverse. nir.

2) The type of base metal that will be treated will be established do,
based on which the battery of working reagents and the application sequence
will be adapted.
3) To the extent possible, work should be prevented under initiated by an
expert is discontinued by him and challenge by another, because it is difficult to
describe in verbal form fleeting images that are usually observed preliminarily,
that cannot be captured by photography, and that later, as the tempering
progresses, new ones can be evident. mind or they can be lost permanently.
4) As the tempering operation takes very long periods of time riables due
to the incidence of a multiplicity of factors, they are not ini will give the test
without the assurance that it will not be rrupda
5) A photographic record must be obtained that documents Check the
characteristics of the chassis, engine block , gun, etc., before starting the
chemical tempering.
Chemical tempering is carried out in all cases with strongly oxidizing
reagents. Most metals react very well to cold attack , this being the most used
form. Exceptionally, hot attacks are carried out.

3.9.1 REAGENTS FOR CHEMICAL TEMPERING

3.9.1.1 Solutions for hot attack:

- 10% nitric acid;

- 25% ferric chloride; 25% hydrochloric acid.

3.9.1.2 Solutions for cold attack:

- 10% sulfuric acid + potassium dichromate (apply as a bath and then

fine emery at intervals);
- solution: hydrochloric acid + water + cupric chloride + alcohol - dry
with cotton + 15% nitric acid - dry and repeat alternately.

Metal Reagents
Aluminum 30% sodium hydroxide
Glycerin + hydrofluoric acid

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Copper, bronze, German silver Ferric chloride + hydrochloric acid +

water
Stainless steel, steel, iron Fry's reagent
cast steel Potassium dichromate in 10%
hydrochloric acid
Copper alloys Ferric chloride in 10% hydrochloric
acid
aluminum alloys Villella's solution: Hydrofluoric acid +
nitric acid + glycerin

3.9.1.3 Recommended treatment for iron and mild steel ce (low carbon iron: 0.15 to 0.60%)

3.9.1.3.1 Bodywork countertops.

Once the surface to be treated has been conditioned through the

methods described, the bucket is built and loaded with concentrated
hydrochloric acid. do with plastic syringe. Contact time is 10-15 minutes. After
this period, the cuvette is unloaded with a Pasteur pipette or syringe, carefully
without touching the surface, since otherwise streaks are generated that mask
the erased designs, and the load with water as many times as necessary so
that it completely disappears the gaseous evolution that ca characterizes the
attack of the acid on the metal. Once the washing has been carried out in these
terms, the remaining water is evacuated and the serva the eventual appearance
of any of the contours erases two.
The light source of choice is sunlight, direct or re strapped by mirror. If it
is not available, they serve the purpose lanterns or reflectors, whose beams
must be made to fall obliquely or flush with the plane of the counter, not
perpendicular dicularly, trying in various directions.
The bucket is loaded again with a mixture of acid. concentrated
hydrochloric acid and nitrochromic solution. The contact time will not exceed 5
minutes in this case. The mixture is discharged and washed with the same
procedure. to the previous one and it is observed.
Until a complete and legible digit of the eliminated ones is observed, we
proceed sequentially according to the Detailed combination: concentrated

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hydrochloric acid/water/hydrochloric – nitrochromic/water mixture.

When recordable photographic images are already obtained treatment
with chloric acid solutions is continued. more diluted water, that is, 1:2 v/v or 1:3
v/v, suspending the use of the mixture with nitrochromic solution.

3.9.1.3.2 2. Engine blocks, real chassis, motorcycle frames bicycles and firearms.

In general terms, the treat The procedure is identical to that described for
the case of the bodies, what varies is the contact time of the treatment
solutions. low with metal surface. These lap These should be prolonged, and
there is no risk of an oxy attack. more intense dye leads to the loss of the
images obtained during tempering, since in these elements the engraving or
stamping is carried out with greater impact pressure, thus enabling a treatment
more energetic development with tolerance in monitoring the possible
developments that are achieved.
Once the tempering operation is completed, concentrated phosphoric
acid can be used as a contrast reagent, which generally achieves highlighting of
the revealed digits over the base tone of the metal.
It should be noted that other authors, such as Zajaczkowski, in his
Manual of Criminalistics, to perform a chemical tempering on iron and mild steel
surfaces, choose to use the Fry-Wazau reagent (cupric chloride, distilled water
and hydrochloric acid).

3.9.1.4 Recommended treatment for hard steel (iron with more than 0.60% carbon)

3.9.1.4.1 1.Chassis of trucks, road machines, motorcycle frames ponsas, cannons.

Once the bucket is formed on the already cleaned surface, it is loaded

with a mixture consisting of nitri acid concentrated co and concentrated
hydrochloric acid; mixture known as aqua regia.
The acid attack sequence is maintained with these mixtures alternating
clases and washings until it is possible to visualize a important percentage of
the erased digits, then the attack is continued with concentrated hydrochloric
acid.
As a final reagent, to contrast the developments revealed regarding the
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tonali surface quality of the base metal, the form can be used Mahely's
mulation, consisting of concentrated hydrochloric acid, distilled water; ethanol
and cupri chloride co.
When this reagent is applied, a copper film is formed. tive on the surface.
The contact time is variable (10-15 minutes) and, in general, a single charge is
not enough. The copper plating patina is removed with nitric acid, which is
removed immediately after the copper has dissolved. to. If the surface is
somewhat blackened by contact with nitric, its steely gray shine is restored by
light contact with concentrated hydrochloric acid.
In the same way as for mild steel, Zajaczkowski in his Manual of
Criminalistics, chooses to use for this type of surfaces, the Nickloss reagent
(sulfuric solution of potassium dichromate) or the Maehly reagent (alcoholic
solution of hydrochloric acid and chloride cupric).

3.9.1.5 Recommended treatment for aluminum and its alloys

3.9.1.5.1 1. Motorcycle engine blocks, pistol and revolver frames, platelets.

Once the plasticine bucket is formed, the process begins with a

hydrochloric acid solution. co. When the first developments begin to be
detected erased digits, the oxidative treatment is attenuated, uti lysing
hydrochloric solution.
In those cases where it is required to reinforce the cons tonality between
the developed engraving and the base metal, finally At the end of the
procedure, a sodium hydroxide solution will be applied.

3.9.1.5.2 2.Car blocks.

Treatment begins with concentrated hydrochloric acid solution.

To the extent that legible developments are achieved, the acid attack is
moderated, continuing the treatment with so hydrochloric solution.
In the final phase, sodium hydroxide solution can be applied to enhance
the contrast.
In all cases where the base metal is aluminum or its alloys, the use of
nitric acid or its mixtures should be avoided, as it markedly blackens the
surface, masking any developments that may be achieved.
Zajaczkowski, for this type of surface, establishes the use of a reagent
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that contains hydrofluoric and nitric acid with glycerin.

3.9.1.6 -Copper —

For surfaces made from copper, the procedure is the same as that
described for iron and mild steel. As for reagents, reagents based on silver
nitrate or nitric acid in distilled water or ferric chloride and hydrochloric acid in
chromic acid solution can be used.

3.9.1.7 —Silver, gold and platinum—

Silver and gold are soft metals, so they are used in alloy with copper. The
procedure for removing engravings on this type of surface is the same as that
described for iron and mild steel. The reagents to be used in both cases are
based on potassium cyanide and ammonium persulfate.
For Platinum, a mixture consisting of nitri acid is used. concentrated co
and concentrated hydrochloric acid; mixture known as aqua regia.

3.9.2 RESULTS

 Positive tempering: the surface was altered, there was erasing and
regeneration.
 Negative resale: the surface was not altered and there was no
erasure; or it was deleted and it was not possible to view anything.

4 CHEMICAL TEMPERING ON WOOD,

LEATHER AND GLASS

In the same way as for metal objects, valuable objects made of wood,
leather and glass are no exception to criminal intent.
However, as explained above, as long as recordings were originally
made on these recordings that allow them to be identified and linked to their
owners, and the means by which they were generated have altered the physical
or chemical properties of the surface in some way, there will be possibility,
through the application of appropriate reagents for each surface, of
regeneration of those marks removed by the criminal.

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Leather, wood and glass are ideal surfaces for regenerating identification
marks that have been erased for criminal purposes, although it should be noted
that this practice is not very common.
Wood is made up of cellulosic fibers, joined together by encrusting
substances. When marking occurs on this type of surface, a frank alteration of
the fibers neighboring those directly affected by the action of the engraving
instrument is generated.
Engraving methods on wooden objects are normally by carbonization of
the surface fibers using a red-heated iron mold (pyrography) or by percussion
matrices .
In the event of a criminal removal maneuver by polishing or filing, the
regeneration of the originally inserted inscriptions is feasible, given that with the
aforementioned methods the properties of the surface are altered, thereby
producing its vulnerability to the application of appropriate reagents. .
Currently, the preferred reagent used for chemical tempering of wood is
nitric acid, since it has been shown to be the most suitable and the one with the
greatest probability of regenerating an erased marking. However, in recent
years, experimental research continues to be carried out with different reactions
and reagents in search of differential oxidation of the surface.
Animal skin treated by tanning is called leather. It comes from a layer of
tissue that covers the animals and has properties of resistance, flexibility and
fire resistance, appropriate for subsequent manipulation in various areas. It is
generally used for clothing, footwear, handbags, etc.
In the same way as for the surfaces previously developed, when an
identifying marking is made on a leather object, and always depending on the
method and the intensity with which it is produced, alterations in the properties
will occur, with which, consequently, A certain vulnerability will be generated
when attacked by suitable reagents.
In most cases, the marking of leather surfaces is carried out by applying
colored inscriptions, with metal stamps, this implies a more or less intense
pressing of the surface. Oil paints can also be used to cover up the inscriptions.
In this case, the initial use of the infrared converter or photography is useful. If
the ink used in the original marking was of the carbonaceous type, it is very
likely that this analytical resource will allow its regeneration, taking into account

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the impermeability of the carbon to said rays. The surface can be treated with
solvents of greasy substances that will remove any covering of this nature,
applied on purpose to hide writing or produced naturally by use. After that, it
should be observed with natural and ultraviolet light, looking for the investigated
marking. If the physical resources are exhausted, chemical procedures can be
carried out, with permanent direct observation of their effects.
Regarding the application of the reagents, both on leather and wood, as
a basic principle, the surface to be treated must be completely clean. If paint or
dirt is present, they must be removed. In the case of paints, diluted acetone
should be used, ensuring the least attack possible.
The method of application of the reagent must be with a swab. With
exposure times that must depend due to the great variety of fibers, species and
density of the different types of surface, it is not possible to achieve uniformity
with respect to the exposure time of the reagent, requiring experimental tests
that depend on the surface under study. .

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5 CONCLUSIONS

Because, when performing the operation, the recovery of the eliminated

digits is not simultaneous and the periods in which they remain legible are
variable, the participation of two operators is recommended, one who is only
dedicated to carrying out the chemical tempering, and another specific for the
documentation of the results that are obtained.

On the other hand, regarding the choice of reagents to be used and their
exposure times, it should be noted that it is not possible to establish a universal
method since the differential relationship between affected and unaffected
surfaces and the action of the reagents on the same, it depends exclusively
from the type of surface and the way in which the identifying marks have been
engraved, and consequently, the way in which this has affected the properties
of the support. Therefore, to obtain satisfactory results, it is always
recommended when tempering any surface to perform experimental tests
before working directly with the element under analysis looking for different
differential oxidations, which is basically the foundation of chemical tempering.

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6 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Manual of Forensic Chemistry, Patricia Caro, Ed La Rocca, Buenos Aires, 2007

 Bibliography Provided by the chair

 Forensic Chemistry - Fundamentals and Applications - Wiley Blackwell

 RESEARCH WORK Lic. IRAZEMA MARIS OL RUÍZ MEDRANO

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