Analysis of Different Ball Point Pen Inks Using Thin Layer Chromatography and Comparison with FTIR Spectrometer

Abstract

In this study the black, blue and red ball point inks were classified into two groups using the Rf values. Color tones of dyestuff bands were separated by normal phase thin layer chromatography (TLC). The classification is effective for the preliminary identification of ball point ink which is used for document forgery. Furthermore, the separated components were analyzed by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). FTIR analysis revealed that each band can be characterized and then differentiated by looking the pattern of each spectrum. The results are complementary for TLC and FTIR and these are non-destructive methods.