DETERMINATION OF BALLPOINT AND GEL PEN INKS USING UV VIS SPECTROSCOPY
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Keywords
Ink aging, thin-layer chromatography, UV-visible spectroscopy, forensic analysis, questioned documents
Abstract
This study investigates methods to estimate the relative age of ink in questioned documents using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and UV-visible spectroscopy. Ink samples from ballpoint and gel pens were extracted from simulated entries on A4 paper and aged naturally under controlled conditions. TLC analysis measured retention factor (Rf) values, while UV-visible spectroscopy recorded absorption spectra to track ink changes over time. Results revealed that ink aging, influenced by solvent evaporation and dye degradation, can be effectively monitored using these methods. The proposed approach offers a simple and reliable way to estimate ink age, supporting forensic document analysis.
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Parvesh Sharma
Research Scholar, Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA
Dr. Kapil Kumar
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA
Prof. (Dr.) Himanshu A. Pandya
Head of Department, Department of Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA.