A Comparative Analysis of Ink Composition under Acidic, Basic, And Neutral Hydrolysis Conditions Using Thin-layer Chromatography (TLC)

Ink analysis plays a vital role in forensic science, particularly in the field of question document examination for purposes such as authentication of documents, investigation of forgeries, and other criminal cases involving written evidence. This study focused on the chemical breakdown of ink composition under acidic, basic, and neutral hydrolyzed conditions using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) as an instrument. This study explored three chemical hydrolyzed conditions: acidic (Nitric acid -HNO₃), basic (Sodium Hydroxide – NaOH), and neutral (distilled water). And observed how these conditions affect the chemical composition of ink by identifying the changes in resulting RF (retention factor )values. For this analysis, the ink was extracted from the Reynolds 045 fine Carbure blue ballpoint pen, and RF values for each component were measured from the silica gel-coated TLC plates and compared the RF values of standard ink (non-hydrolyzed) and hydrolyzed ink samples. The analysis revealed significant changes in the ink composition, with shifts in RF values when standard (non-hydrolyzed) ink sample was compared with those hydrolyzed ink samples.