Fun with Fingerprints: Cyanoacrylate Fuming

In this Activity, students develop fingerprints using the cyanoacrylate fuming method on different types of surfaces. They investigate the technique’s effectiveness and test the effects of changing the temperature and humidity of the fuming chamber. This Activity can enhance teaching of chemical concepts such as: states of matter, evaporation, solubility of organic compounds, chemical reactions including polymerization, and gas adsorption in thin liquid layers. It can also serve as an interdisciplinary activity with connections to biology (skin form and function) and biochemistry (biomolecules in sweat secretions).