Mary Rose S.

Baluran BSCrim-2
Invisible ink
Introduction
One of popular techniques in gambling fraud involves the use of invisible ink marks printed on
the back surface of playing cards. Such covert patterns are transparent in the visible spectrum and
therefore invisible to unaided human eye. Invisible ink, also known as security ink, is a substance for
writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some
means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography. The ink can be later made visible by different methods
according to the type of invisible ink used.
Objectives: At the end of the experiment, the students should be able to familiarize some of the
commonly used invisible inks and the different methods of developing them.
PROCEDURE
Methods of Development (to be performed at home)
1. Development by water

Using pointed rods or cotton buds as writing instrument, dip the writing instrument to a plastic
cup containing 20 drops or 1mL vinegar.
Write on a clean sheet of paper with any words or secret message.
Allow the writing to dry under a running fan, so that the inks dry up and the writings become
invisible.
Dip or soak in water for a minute the piece of paper containing the writing using the vinegar.
Note the colors of the writing produced.

2. Developing by heat

Using pointed rods or cotton buds as writing instrument, dip the writing instrument to 20 drops or
1mL of the following solutions: kalamansi juice, sugar, milk, and starch)

Note: This is how to prepare: (dissolve the one teaspoon of sugar with small volume of tap
water and a small volume of water to two pieces of squeeze kalamansi, small amount of milk
with small volume of water and small amount of starch with small volume of water )

Write on a clean sheet of paper with kalamansi , sugar, milk and sugar.
Allow the writing to dry under a running fan, so that the inks dry up and the writings become
invisible.

To read the hidden message, you'll have to apply heat to the paper. Turn on your desk lamp and
hold the paper close to the light bulb, allowing the light bulb to heat the paper. The heat from the
light bulb will cause the writings to darken, allowing you to read the invisible writings.
Also for the heating agent, you can make use of other heat sources such as sunlight.

When you apply heat to it, the portion where you wrote your message oxidises and burns faster
than the surrounding paper dry from the ink. The said portion will turn brown, thus revealing
your secret message.

Clean up and Waste Disposal

No specific waste disposal protocols are required for this experiment; all waste can be washed
down the sink with water or disposed of in a bin. Spillages can be cleaned with water and paper
towel
Documentation

Washing all the containers that I used for my materials

Throwing the lemon and cotton swabs in the trash can

 Invisible ink
Introduction
One of popular techniques in gambling fraud involves the use of invisible ink marks printed on
the back surface of playing cards. Such covert patterns are transparent in the visible spectrum and
therefore invisible to unaided human eye. Invisible ink, also known as security ink, is a substance for
writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some
means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography. The ink can be later made visible by different methods
according to the type of invisible ink used.
Objectives: At the end of the experiment, the students should be able to familiarize some of the
commonly used invisible inks and the different methods of developing them.

Apparatus and materials:

Cotton buds Kalamansi juice
Vinegar Milk
Milk Starch
Sugar Fan
Bond paper Plastic container

Data and Results:

INVISIBLE INKS METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT COLOR

vinegar Development by water Colorless

Kalamansi juice Development by heat Brown

Sugar solution Development by heat Caramel/Brown

milk Development by heat Brown

starch Development by heat Brown

Questions
1. Discuss what happen to word vinegar after allowing it to dry and after dipping or soaking in
water.
 As I’ve dried the vinegar solution the message, I write in the bond paper was invisible
then as I soaked it in the water the message suddenly appeared. You can see that there is a writing on the
bond paper but the color is colorless.

2. What happened to your invisible message?

 The invisible message appeared. When the ink is exposed to heat, such as under an iron
or over a candle flame, 100-watt light bulb or sunlight, the acids in the liquid turn a different color and the
message becomes visible.

3. What liquid works best in making invisible ink?

 The lemon juice will make the best invisible ink because, it is an acidic liquid. Lemon
juice are also the commonly used materials when having an experiment about invisible ink. The word that
I write using the lemon juice was the first one to came out in the paper. This is why the reason the lemon
juice or the kalamansi juice is the best liquid in making invisible ink.

4. Is lemon juice invisible ink a good method for transmitting a secret message?
 Yes, because lemon juice is acidic and acid weakens paper. The acid remains in the paper
after the juice has dried. When the paper is held near heat the acidic parts of the paper burn or
turn brown before the rest of the paper does.
Documentation

MATERIALS
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Conclusion:
Therefore, Milk, kalamansi juice, vinegar, sugar, starch or any other acidic liquid, weakens the
paper when applied. When you apply heat to it, the portion where you wrote your message oxidises and
burns faster than the surrounding paper dry from the ink. The said portion will turn brown, thus revealing
your secret message. The students can be able to familiarize some of the commonly used invisible inks
like milk, kalamansi juice, vinegar, sugar, starch or etc. which it is an easy access because we can find it
in our kitchen. The students can easily illustrate this kind of experiment because the only methods of
developing them is by water and by heat.

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