The Effects of Propane-1, 2-diol on the Evaporation Rate of Ballpoint Pen Ink

Writing with ink pens has stressed people who constantly worry about getting ink on their skin or clothes. Many studies have shown that ink has solvents that evaporate fairly quickly, leading to ink drying. While this is true in some cases, some left-handed people still deal with the struggle of having to avoid ink. The purpose of this study was to determine if adding propane-1,2 diol to ballpoint pen ink would decrease its drying time. It was hypothesized that adding more propane-1, 2 diol to ink would continue to decrease its drying time. A 50 mL beaker with 10 mL of ballpoint pen ink and a stack of paper was set up to run the experiment. Q-tips were used to dip into the ink and write on the paper. When the Q-tips were lifted from the paper, a stopwatch was set to time how long it took for the ink to dry. After 30 trials were completed, 1 mL of propane-1,2 diol was added to the ink, and 30 more trials were run. After another 30 trials were completed, 3 mL of propane-1, 2 diol were added to the ink, and 30 more trials were completed. The addition of propane-1, 2 diol resulted in no significant trend that suggested the solvent affected the drying time of ink. It was determined that the primary cause of error was experimentation strategy and timing. Precision and better planning would produce better results.