NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B.

Silungan, MATCC

Learning Module 6

Topic VI: Chemical aspect of Document Examination

A. Intended Learning Outcome:

The learners are able to define important terms such as paper and ink and
perform the methods in identifying standard and questioned documents.

B. Time frame: November 9-November 14, 2020 (Week 5)

Class Schedule:

Date and Time Class Meeting Remarks

November 9, 2020 Asynchronous meeting
(Monday) Self-study and completion of The teacher is available online
(7:30-9:00 AM CRIM A) the given activity sheet. for queries; attendance of the
(1:30-3:00 PM CRIM B) Note: student still be checked.
Students are required to submit
at least 1 (one) question for
clarification thru messenger.
November 10-11, 2020 Synchronous meeting Active participation from the
(7:30-9:00 AM CRIM A) Thru messenger student is highly encouraged.
(1:30-3:00 PM CRIM B)

November 12, 2020 Asynchronous meeting The teacher is available online

for queries; attendance of the
Note: student still be checked.
Students are required to submit
at least 1 (one) question for
clarification thru messenger.
November 13, 2020 Synchronous meeting Active participation from the
Thru messenger student is highly encouraged.

November 14, 2020 Synchronous meeting Active participation from the

Thru messenger student is highly encouraged.
Note:
Saturday is the submission
day. You need to submit all of
your requirements in Module
6.

C. Integrated Values: Responsiveness and Accountability

NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

CHEMICAL ASPECT OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

At first impression it seems that the examination of questioned documents is

hardly within the province of a Forensic chemist and what comes to our mind when we
have questioned documents for examination is the questioned documents examiner. If
we consider the chemical aspect of the examination the forensic chemist plays an
important role. Questioned document examiner simply determines whether the
signatures and other entries therein were made by one and the same person. A Forensic
Chemist determines the approximate age of the document through examination of the
paper and determines the approximates of ink. He performs chemical examination of the
ink or pencil, paper, erasures, alterations and sequence of writing, thus it is very evident
that there is a large amount of purely chemical work in document examination.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE
 To know the age of the document, the presence of alteration, erasures and
other forms of forgery.

DOCUMENT
 An original or official written or printed paper furnishing information or used
as a proof of some allegation. It is any object that contains handwritten or
typewritten 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 folded, since it is necessary to send to the laboratory, the fold should be made
along old lines. Place it in an envelope since it is sufficiently hard paper or it can
be placed in a transparent plastic envelope.
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
possibly mark them.

COMPOSITIONS OF PAPER

1. FIBER COMPOSITION
 Practically all papers maybe classified from the standpoint of their
basic fiber composition into sets of fiber mixture namely:
 mechanical pulp
o Ground wood sulfite mixture. This is pulp from
coniferous and dicotyledonous wood in combination
with sulfite chemical pulp from conifers.
 Soda-sulfite mixture
o Chemical pulp from dicotyledonous woods.
 Rag sulfite
o Cotton rag or linen rag.

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

2. SIZING MATERIAL
 Added to paper to improve its texture
Examples:
1. rosin
2. casein
3. gelatin
4. starch
3. LOADING MATERIAL
 Added to paper to give weight. It partially fills the pores between the
fibers of the paper.
Examples:
1. calcium sulfate
2. barium sulfate

SUBSTANCES USED FOR WRITING

1. Egyptian papyrus
 One of the earliest substance used for writing. It is from the name
papyrus that the word paper was derived.
2. parchment and velum
3. linen rag
4. mixture of linen and cotton or cotton only

Paper was made from a variety of fibrous materials which started about the middle
of the 19th century. On 1800 the straw was the first used material for writing. Between
1845 and 1880 soda wood pulp was used. In 1869 it was moved from soda wood pulp
to mechanical wood pulp. Between 1880 and 1890 a type of paper use was sulfite 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 is apparently used.

QUESTIONED DOCUMENT

The examination of questioned documents falls into two broad classes:

1. Criminalistics examination
 For the detection of forgery, erasures, alteration, and obliterations.
 In criminalistics examination, an intellectual police investigator can
detect almost 75% of all forgeries by careful inspection of a
document with simple magnifiers and measuring tools. The
examination of documents in the criminalistics laboratory is also a
strictly scientific procedure which can be learned in a very short time.
It uses ultra-violet lights, special photographic, chemical and
microscopic test to determine the age of the paper. Because the
typewriter is a mechanical tool, the identification of typewriter
specimen is also strictly a criminalistics operation.

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

2. Handwriting identification
 To find out who is the author of writing.
 Handwriting analysis is more difficult procedure and requires long
study and experience. Because we recognize the handwriting of other
persons fairly easily we think that it is simple matter to detect forgery
in writing.

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

DISCUSSION OF THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER

1. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
 Deals with the appearance of the documents and the following are
observed:
 Folds and creases
 Odor
 Impression caused by transmitted light
o Gives indication of color.
o Translucency where tampering is made.
o Change in tint which indicates substitution of sheets of
paper.
o Watermarks and wiremarks.
 Presence of discoloration in daylight and under the ultraviolet
light.
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
o To indicate that they originated from the same
manufacturing, if two pieces are found to be exactly
the same.
 Measurement of thickness
 Measurement of weight per unit area
 Color of the paper
 Texture
 Gloss
 Opacity
 Microscopic examination per inspection
3. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION CAUSING A PERCEPTIBLE CHANGE
 This is done only if sufficient samples are available and if prior
authorization from the court is required.

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

 Bursting strength test or “POP” test

 Folding endurance test
 Accelerated aging test
o Exposure to charcoal
o Ironing
o Heating in an oven
 Absorption test
4. CHEMICAL TEST
 This test determines the fiber composition, the loading material and
sizing material used in the paper.
 Fiber composition
 Sizing material

DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE AGE OF DOCUMENT

1. AGE OF INK
 There are no definite procedure which can be given for this
determination except when the color is black, because on the
observation at within a few hours the color of ink writings become
darker because the dye contained therein is influenced by the light of
the room, oxygen of the air, acidity or alkalinity of the paper.

There are several methods of determining the degree of oxidation of the ink
writing and apparently these methods depend upon:
 Physical phenomena such as matching the color of the ink writing
with standard colors or with itself over a period of time.
 Chemical reaction which may reveal some information concerning the
length of time the ink has been on the paper.
2. AGE OF PAPER
 through watermarks
 composition of paper

TYPES OF INK

There are varieties of ink in the market today, but all modern inks are essentially
of six types:
1. Gallotannic ink or iron-nutgall ink (blue)
 It is the most frequently used ink for making entries in record books
and for business purposes. It is 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.

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

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 and
standing they turn black. It is made of saturated solution of logwood
to which very small amount of potassium dichromate is added.
Hydrochloric acid is added to prevent formation of precipitate. Phenol
is added as preservative. This ink is inexpensive, does not corrode
steel pen, will not wash off the paper even fresh, flows freely.
3. Nigrosine ink or aniline ink (blue black or purple black)
 Made of coal tar product called nigrosine dissolved in water. It easily
smudge when affected by moisture, maybe washed off from the
paper with little difficulty.
4. Carbon ink or Chinese ink or India ink
 The oldest ink material known. Today, finely divided carbon is 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 usual ink testing reagents.
5. colored writing ink
 Almost all colored ink 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 fast dyes soluble in glycerol type solvents like carbitol,
glycol or oleic acid.

OTHER ASPECT OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

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

O ILLEGIBLE
 Is unnecessary writing which is not capable of being read usually
made on checks, birth certificate, passports, transcript of records.

Examples of illegible writing:

1. Erasures
 The removal of writing from paper, it can be made
mechanically or chemically.
2. Obliteration
 The obscuring of writing by superimposing ink, pencil or other
markings materials.
3. Sympathetic ink
 substance used for invisible writing

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

4. Indented writing
 Term applied to the partially visible depression appearing on a
sheet of paper underneath the one which the visible appears.
5. Writing on carbon paper
 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 writing.

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

REVIEW QUESTIONS

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

Multiple choice. Encircle the letter of the 6. Preliminary examination deals

correct answer. with the appearance of the
document and the following are
1. One of the earliest substances observed.
used for writing. a. Odor
a. Velum b. Taste
b. Egyptian papyrus c. Smell
c. Linen rag d. None of the above
d. None of the above 7. It is a method of removing of
2. In what year the first straw was writing from the paper.
used? a. Contact writing
a. 1845 b. Erasures
b. 1880 c. Indented writing
c. 1800 d. None of the above
d. None of the above 8. Which of the following is TRUE
3. In what year when the first in determination of the age of
mechanical wood pulp was used paper?
for writing. a. Through watermarks
a. 1845 b. Obliteration
b. 1880 c. Through the appearance
c. 1800 d. None of the above
d. None of the above 9. Term applied to the partially
4. Which of the following loading visible depression appearing on a
material was used to give paper sheet of paper underneath the
a proper weight. one which the visible writing
a. Calcium sulfate appears.
b. Calcium nitrate a. Contact writing
c. Barium nitrate b. Erasures
d. None of the above c. Indented writing
5. Marks produced on paper by the d. None of the above
flexible wire soldered to the 10. It is unnecessary writing which
surface of the dandy roll which is not capable of being read
carries the watermark. usually made on checks, birth
a. Watermark certificate and etc.
b. Wiremark a. Illegible writing
c. Identification mark b. Contact writing
d. None of the above c. Indented writing
d. None of the above

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

Writing to Learn Worksheet

Summary Sheet
Date:______________________
Name:_____________________

Topic: ___________________________
Reference:

1. What is the topic about?

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2. What new information did you learn from the topic? Include new terms and their
meanings.
________________________________________________________________________
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3. Which of the new information is most significant to you? Why?

________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Use this portion 

Review Questions: Write only the letter in caps lock after each number.

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NOTRE DAME OF JOLO COLLEGE Forensic Chemistry Mahather B. Silungan, MATCC

1. _____ 6. _____
2. _____ 7. _____
3. _____ 8. _____
4. _____ 9. _____
5. _____ 10. _____

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