CHEMICAL ASPECT OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

 It is a fact that the essential materials in a document examination of any kind are the paper and
ink or pencil, and the chemical examination of inks, erasures, alterations and sequence or
writing are often associated with such examination, it will be very evident that there is large
amount of purely chemical work in document

DOCUMENT

 An original or official written or printed-paper furnishing information or used as a proof of

something else.
 Is any object that contains handwritten or type written markings whose source or authenticity
is in doubt.

PACKING, PRESERVATION AND TRANSPORTATION OF DOCUMENTS

1. Documents should be handled, folded and marked as little as possible.

2. If folding is necessary to send the laboratory, the fold should be made along old lines and place it in
manila paper or brown envelope and or in transparent plastic envelope.

3. On receipt the document should be placed between two sheets of plain white paper in folder.

4. Documents should not be touched with pencil, pen or anything that could possibly marked them.

THE EXAMINATION OF QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS

EXAMINATION AND COMPARISON OF PAPER

 Essential material in a document examination of any kind are the paper and ink or pencil or
writings.
 The examination of paper may be necessary if we want to know the age of document, the
presence of alterations, erasures and other forms of forgery.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE ANALYSIS OF PAPER

1. Determination of whether two pieces of paper originated from the same source.

2. Determination of the probable age of paper.

3. Determination of the composition of the paper.

1. Fiber Composition - practically all papers maybe classified from the standpoint of their basic fiber
composition into sets of fiber mixtures namely:

◆ A. Mechanical pulp - ground wood sulfite mixture, this is pulp from coniferous and
dicotyledonous wood in combination with sulfite chemical pulp from conifers.

◆ B. Soda-sulfite mixture – chemical pulp from dicotyledonous woods.

◆ C. Rag sulfite – cotton rag or linen rag.

2. Sizing material - added to paper to improve texture.

ex. Rosin, casein, gelatin and starch.

3. Loading material - added to paper to give weight and partially fills the pores between the fibers of the
paper. ex. Calcium sulfate and barium sulfate.

SUBSTANCES USED FOR WRITING:

Egyptian papyrus - one of the earliest substances used for writing. It is from the name papyrus that the
word paper derived. After papyrus came parchment and velum then linen rag followed by mixture of
linen and cotton or cotton only.

Paper made from a variety of fibrous materials that about the middle of the 19th century.

◆ 1800- straw was first used

◆ 1845 -1880- from soda wood pulp

◆ 1880-1890- from sulfite wood pulp.

*at present, a thin sheet of matted or felted vegetable fiber (usually wood pulp) with filter as clay and
sizing material as rosin or starch.)

THE EXAMINATION OF THE PAPER

1. The age of the paper as compared with the age of known document.

2. Whether a paper is identical with or different from another paper history is known.

3. Whether two sheets f paper of the same manufacturer were made at the same time. In this case we
have to know when the form was printed or when the paper was first made that bears a particular mark.

THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER

1. Preliminary examination- deals with the appearance of the document and the following are
observed:

◆ Folds and creases

◆ Odor

◆ Impression caused by transmitted light

-It gives indication of color, translucency where tampering is made, change in tint which indicates
substitution of sheets of paper, watermarks and wire marks.

◆ Presence of discoloration in daylight and under the ultraviolet light.

Watermark - Is one of the most important features in the comparison of paper. It is the distinctive mark
design placed in the paper at the time of its manufacture.

Wiremark - Marks produced on paper by flexible wire soldered to the surface of the dandy roll that
carries the watermark.
2. PHYSICAL TEST CAUSING NO PERCEPTIBLE CHANGE

 A test applied on paper without perceptible changing or altering the original appearance of the
document.

◆ Measurement of length and width- to indicate that they originated from the same manufacturer if
two pieces are found to be exactly the same.

◆ Measurement of thickness

◆ Measurement of weight

◆ Color of the paper- It is closely related to its brightness. A side-by-side comparison maybe made in
well-diffused light. Observation of color is influenced by the texture, gloss, finish, type of illumination
and element of human error.

◆ Texture

◆ Gloss- gloss and texture maybe determined by visual observation in good daylight or under different
kinds of illumination.

◆Opacity- The quality of paper that does not allow light to pass through or which prevents dark objects
from being seen through the paper.

◆ Microscopic examination/ inspection- For possible presence of dirt, foreign particles, imperfections,
wiremarks or certain unusual fibers. These maybe a deciding factors in determining whether or not the
same manufacturer made two pieces.

3. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CAUSING PERCIPTIBLE CHANGE

 This is done only if sufficient samples are available and if prior authorization from the court is
required this can be done.

◆ Bursting strength or “Pop” test- The apparent pressure necessary to burst a hole in a sheet when
property inserted in a suitable instrument.

◆ Folding endurance test-It is obtained on an instrument that registers the number of alternate folds
before breaking.

◆ Accelerated aging test- There are some methods of aging a document artificially namely:

1. Soaking in coffee station

2. Soaking in tea solution

3. Exposure to charcoal

4. Ironing

5. Heating in an oven

6. Exposure to ultraviolet light

◆ Absorption test- Maybe made to determine either the rate of absorption or the total absorption of
the paper. A strip of paper is suspended in water or ink or other liquid.

4. CHEMICAL TEST - This test determines the fiber composition, the loading material and sizing material
used in the paper.

◆ Fiber composition- The examination is purely microscopic and it determines the material used and
nature of processing.

◆Sizing material- The sizing materials maybe tested by:

Procedure and Results:

1. Gelatine - Is extracted by boiling the paper in water. The solution is tested with tannic solution.

Positive result is yellow precipitated.

2. Rosin – this is extracted by heating the paper on a water bath with 95% alcohol. The solution obtained
is evaporated to dryness and the residue is dissolved in acetic anhydride, cooled, transferred to a
porcelain dish and strong sulfuric acid is added.

Positive result: violet color that quickly changes to red brown.

Simple test for rosin – place a few drops of ether on the paper and if rosin is present a brown ring will be
formed when ether evaporates.

3. Starch – add a dilute iodine solution on the paper. Blue color is produced if starch is present.

4. Casein – it can be detected by addition of Millon’s reagent on the paper. Pink color appears if casein is
present.

The Analysis of Ink

Some of the important questions that arise in the analysis of ink are:

1. Whether the ink is the same or like or different in kind from ink other parts of the same document or
on other documents.

2. Whether two writings made with the same kind of ink were made with identical ink, or inks of
different qualities or in different conditions.

3. Whether the ink is as old as it purports to be.

4. Whether documents of different dates or as a succession od differently dated book entries show
natural variations in ink writing or whether the conditions point to one continuous writing at one time
under the same condition.
Types of Ink

1. Gallotannic ink or iron-nutgall ink (blue)

 today the most frequently used ink for making entries in record books and for business
purposes. made of a solution of iron salt (ferrous sulfate) and nutgall (iron gallotannate). This ink
can penetrate into the interstices of the fiber and not merely on the surface thus making its
removal more difficult to accomplish. The color changes undergone by this ink in the process of
oxidation provides a valuable means of estimating the approximate age of the writing.
 Blue – with the naked eye; very recent
 Violet – less recent
 Black – still less recent

2. Logwood ink (black)- The color is dependent on the inorganic salt added, but on drying they turn
black.

3. Nigrosine ink or aniline ink (blue black or purple black) - Made of tar product called nigrosine
dissolved in water.

4. Carbon ink or Chinese ink or India ink- The oldest ink material known. Today, finely divided carbon is
held colloidal suspension and used to produce deep black drawing and writing ink.

5. Colored writing ink- Today most all inks are composed of synthetic aniline dyestuffs dissolved in
water. In certain colored inks ammonium vanadate is added to render the writing more permanent.

6. Ballpoint pen ink- Made of light fasr dues solution in glycol type solvents like carbitol, glycol or eleic
acid.

Paper Chromatography can be best analyzed with this ink.

TEST FOR INK

1. Physical method/test- Applied to determine the color and presence of alterations, erasures,
destruction of sizes with the use of stereoscope, hand lens and microscope.
2. Chemical test or Spot test- A simple test wherein different chemical reactions or reagents are
applied on the ink strokes and the chemical reactions or characteristics color reactions or other
changes in the ink are observed.

DETERMINATION OF APPROXIMATE AGE OF DOCUMENT

1. Age of ink - No definite procedure which can be given for this determination except when color
is black, because on the observation that within a few hours the color of ink writings becomes
darker the dye contained therein is influenced by the light of the the room, oxygen of the air,
acidity or alkalinity of paper.
Several methods of determining the degree of oxidation of ink:

➢ Physical phenomena such as matching the color of the color of the ink writing with standard colors or
with itself over a period of time.

➢ Chemical reaction that may reveal some information concerning the length of time the ink has been
on the paper.

2. Age of paper:

➢Through watermarks

➢ In certain cases from the composition of paper. 

OTHER ASPECT OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

- The detection and deciphering of illegible writing is one of the major problem in document
examination.

Illegible writing - Is unnecessary writing which is not capable of being read usually made on checks, birth
certificate, passports and transcript of records.

Example of illegible writing:

1. Erasures- The removal of writing the paper. It can be mechanically or chemically.

2. Obliteration- The obscuring of writing by superimposing ink, pencil or other marking materials.

3. Sympathetic ink- Substances used for invisible writing.

4. Indented writing- Term applied to the partially visible depression appearing on a sheet of paper
underneath the one that the visible writings appear.

5. Writing on carbon paper- Remember that used sheets of carbon paper can be made readable.

6. Contact writing- Blank paper may contain traces of ink because of previous contact with some
writings.