2. DOCUMENT
-An original or official written or
printed-paper furnishing information
or used as a proof of something else.
3. 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 to the laboratory,
the fold should be made along old lines. Place it in
Manila paper envelope or brown envelope since it
is sufficiently hard paper or it an be placed in a
transparent plastic envelope.
4. 3.On receipt the document should be placed
between two sheets of plain white paper in a
folder.
4.Documents should not be touched with
pencil, pen or anything that could be possibly
marked hem.
5. THE EXAMINATION OF QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS
Examination and Comparison of Paper
The essential materials in a document
examination of any kind are the paper and ink or
pencil or writings.
6. The examination of paper may be
necessary if we want to know the age of
the document, the presence of
alterations, erasures and other forms of
forgery.
7. 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.
8. A. Fiber Composition – practically all papers may be
classified from the standpoint of their basic fiber
composition into sets of fiber mixtures namely:
1. Mechanical pulp – ground wood sulphite mixture,
this is pulp from coniferous and dicotyledonous wood
in combination with sulphite chemical pulp from
conifers.
9. 2. Sizing material – added to paper to improve its
texture. Examples of sizing materials are rosin,
casein, gelatin and starch.
3. Loading material – added to paper to give
weight. It partially fills the pores between the
fibers of the paper. Examples of loading materials
are calcium sulphate and barium sulphate.
10. Substances Used in Writing:
Egyptian papyrus – one of the earliest substance
used in for writing. It is from the name papyrus
that the word paper was derived.
After papyrus came parchment and velum then
linen rag followed by mixture of linen and cotton
or cotton only.
11. a.1800 – straw was first used.
b.Between 1845 and 1880 – from soda wood pulp
c.1869 – from mechanical wood pulp
d.Between 1880 and 1890 –from sulphite wood pulp
At present a thin sheet of matted or felted vegetable fiber
(usually wood pulp) with filler as clay and sizing material as
rosin or starch.
12. THE EXAMINATION OF 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 whose history is known.
13. 3.Whether two sheets of 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.
14. THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
1. Preliminary Examination
2. Physical test causing no perceptible
change
3. Physical test causing a perceptible change
4. Chemical test
15. 1. Preliminary Examination
deals with the appearance of the document and the following
are observed:
a. Folds and creases
b. Odor
c. Impression caused by transmitted light – gives indication of
color, translucency where tampering is made, change in tint
which indicates substitution of sheets of paper, watermarks
and wire marks.
16. d. Presence of discoloration in daylight and under the
ultraviolet light.
Watermark – It is distinctive mark or design placed in the
paper at the time of its manufacture, by a roll usually covered
with wire cloth known as dandy roll which serves as a means
whereby the paper can be identified as the product of a
particular manufacturer.
Wiremark – markes produced on paper by the flexible wire
soldered to the surface of the dandly roll that carries the
watermark.
17. 2. Physical Test Causing No Perceptible
Change
- a test applied on paper without perceptible
changing or altering the original appearance
of the document.
18. a. Measurement of length and width
b. Measurement of thickness
c. Measurement of weight/unit area
d. Color of the paper-
e. Texture
f. Gloss
g.Opacity
h. Microscopic examination/inspection
19. 3.Physical examination Causing a Perceptible
Change
–this is done only if the sufficient samples are
available and if prior authorization from the court
is required this can be done.
20. a. Bursting strength or “Pop” test
the apparent pressure necessary to burst a hole in a sheet
when properly inserted in a suitable instrument.
b.Folding endurance test
– it is obtained on an instrument that registers the number of
alternate folds the paper will stand before breaking.
21. c. Accelerated aging test – there are some methods of
aging a document artificially namely:
1. soaking in coffee solution
2. soaking in tea solution
3. exposure to charcoal
4. ironing
5. heating in an oven
6. exposure to ultraviolet light
22. d. 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.
23. 4.Chemical Test
– this test determines the fiber
composition, the loading material and
sizing material used in the paper.
24. A. Fiber Composition
– the examination is purely microscopic and it determines the
material used and nature of processing.
This maybe determined by boiling a small piece of the
document in 5% sodium hydroxide.
The liquid poured off and the fragment of paper washed and
teased out on a glass slide and stained with the following and
the color observed under the microscope.
25. Reagents:
a.2 grams of potassium iodide, 1.5 ml glycerine and 20 ml
water
b.1) 20 grams zinc chloride and 10 ml water.
2) 2 grams potassium iodide, 1 gram iodide and 5 ml water
Mix 1 and 2 allow the mixture to stand and decant clear
supernatant liquid for use. (the solution is zinc chloriodine)
c. 1 gram phloroglucine, 25 ml water and 5 ml conc HCl
d. 10% solution of aniline sulfate
26. B.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 dilute tannic acid 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 dissolved in acetic anhydride, cooled transferred to a porcelain
dish and strong sulphuric acid is added. Positive result is reddish-violet
color that quickly changes to red brown.
27. 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.
28. THE ANALYSIS OF INK
Some of the most 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 on 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.
29. 3.Whether an ink is as old as it purports to be.
4.Whether documents of different dates or a
succession of 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.
30. TYPES OF INK
Gallotanic ink or iron-nutgall ink (blue) – today the
most frequently used ink for making entries in record
books and for business purposes.
Gallotanic ink is made of a solution of iron salt (ferrous
sulphate) and nutgall (iron gallotannate).
31. 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
32. Changes undergone by gallotannic ink:
a.First reaching a maximum degree of blackening within
the first year or two.
b.Then fades gradually over a period of many years
until only a rust colored deposit remains.
33. Logwood ink (black) – the color is dependent on
the inorganic salt added, buton drying and
standing they turn black.
Phenol is added as preservative. The ink is
inexpensive, does not corrode steel pen. Will not
washed off the paper even fresh, flows freely.
34. Nigrosine ink or aniline ink (blue black or purple
black) –
made of coal tar product called nigrosin
dissolved in water. It easily smudge,
affected by moisture, maybe washed off
from the paper with little difficulty.
35. Carbon ink or Chinese ink or India ink
• the oldest ink material known
• held in colloidal suspension and used to produce deep
black drawing and writing ink. Made of carbon in the
form of lampblack.
• Does not penetrate deeply into the fibers of the paper
so that it may easily be washed off.
• Not affected by the usual ink resting reagents.
36. Carbon ink or Chinese ink or India ink
•Today most all colored inks are composed of
synthetic aniline dyestuffs dissolved in water.
•In certain colored inks ammonium vanadate is
added to render the writing more permanent.a
37. Ballpoint pen ink
•made of light fast dues solution in glycol
type solvents like carbitol, glycol or eleic
acid.
•Paper Chromatography can best analyse
this ink.
38. TEST FOE INK
The different classes of ink may be determined by many different
methods such as the used of reagents on the ink lines, the
spectrographic method and the photographic method.
39. For our purpose only the physical and chemical
methods will be discussed.
1.Physical method/Test –
applied to determine the color and presence
of alterations, erasures, destruction of sizes
with the use of stereoscope, handlens and
microscope.
40. Chemical test of Spot test
A simple test wherein different chemicals or
reagents are applied on the ink strokes and the
chemical reactions or characteristics color
reactions or other changes in the ink are
observed.
42. 2% NaOH Reddish
brown
Reddish
brown
Brown Runs, dark
violet at
edges
No effect or
smudged
with blotter
10% NaOCl Disappears Disappears Disappears Brown No effect or
smudged
with blotter
Chlorine
water
Disappears Disappears Disappears Brown No effect or
smudged
with blotter
K Fe(CN) (a) Blue Blue Red No effect No effect or
smudged
with blotter
KCNS (a) Red Red -- No effect No effect or
smudged
with blotter
43. DETERMINATION OF APPROXIMATE AGE OF
DOCUMENT
Age of ink – no definite procedure which can be
given for this determination except when the
color is black,
•color of ink writings becomes darker the dye
contained therein is influenced by the light of
the room, oxygen of the air, acidity or alkalinity
of the paper.
44. •a.Physical phenomena such as matching the
color of the ink writing with standard colors or
with itself over a period of time.
•b.Chemical reaction that may reveal some
information concerning the length of time the
ink has been on the paper.
45. 2.Age of paper
a.Through water marks
b.In certain cases from the composition of paper.
OTHER ASPECT OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION
The determination and deciphering of
illegible writing is one of the major problems in
document examination.
46. • Illigible 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.Ensures – the remova of writing from the paper, It
can be made mechanically or chemically.
2.Obliteration – the obscuring of writing by
superimposing ink, pencil or other marking materials.
47. 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 writing appears.
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.
48. Reference book: Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology (Lecture Guide and
Laboratory Manual) by Alexander De Asis Urbano, Forensic Chemistry
and Toxicology (An essential tool in effective Criminal Justice System
Revised and Exponded Edition) by Arlyn M. Dascil-Cañete
