Module No.

DOCUMENT

1st Semester 2026

Ruel S. Encela
Assistant Professor III
D. Discussion

CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

At first impression it seems that the examination of questioned

document is hardly within the province of forensic chemist, but if we
consider the 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 writings are often
associated with such examination.

DOCUMENT
This refers to an original or official written or printed paper
furnishing information or used as proof of something else. It is any object
that contains handwritten or typewritten markings whose source or
authenticity is in doubt.

PACKING, PRESERVATION AND TRANSPORTATION OF

DOCUMENTS
Documents are precious things and, therefore should be treated
accordingly.
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 a Manila paper envelope or brown
envelope since it is sufficiently complex 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 a pencil, pen, or anything that
could possibly be marked.

THE EXAMINATION OF QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS

Examination and Comparison of Paper

The essential materials in a document examination of any kind are
paper and ink or pencil or writing. The examinations 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.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE ANALYSIS OF PAPER

A. Determination of whether two pieces of paper originated from the
same source,
B. Determination of the probable age of paper.
C. Determination of the composition of the paper.
1. Fiber composition – practically all papers may be classified
from the standpoint of their basic fiber composition into sets of fiber
mixtures namely:

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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 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 are 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 was derived. Paper is
made from a variety of fibrous materials that started about the middle of
the 19th century.
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 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.

THE EXAMINATION OF THE PAPER

The examination and comparison of the paper may determine the
following:
1. The age of the paper as compared with the age of the known
document.
2. Whether a paper is identical with or different from another paper with
known history.
3. Whether two sheets of paper from the same manufacturer were made
simultaneously. In this case, we must know when the form was printed or
when the paper was first made with a particular mark.

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

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 an indication of
color, translucency where tampering is made, change in tint which
indicates substitution of sheets of paper, watermarks, and wire marks.
d. Presence of discoloration in daylight and under ultraviolet light.

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WATERMARK – If present, is one of the most essential features in the
comparison of paper. It is a distinctive mark or design placed in the
paper at the time of its manufacture by a roll usually covered with wire
cloth known as a dandy roll, which serves as a means whereby the paper
can be identified as the product of a particular manufacturer.

WIREMARK – Marks are produced on paper by the flexible wire

soldered to the surface of the dandy roll that carries the watermark.

2. Physical Test Causing No Perceptible Change

This refers to a test applied on paper without perceptible changing
or altering the original appearance of the document.
a. Measurement of length and width – to indicate that they
originated from the same manufacturer if two pieces are found to be
exactly the same.
b. Measurement of thickness
c. Measurement of Weight/ Unit area
d. Color of the paper – It is closely related to it’s brightness. A
side by side comparison may be made in a well diffused light.
Observation of color is influence by the texture, gloss, finish, type of
illumination and the element of human error.
e. Texture
f. Gloss – Gloss and texture may be determined by visual
observation in good day light or under different kinds of illumination.
g. Opacity - The quality of paper that does not allow light to pass
through or which prevents dark objects from being seen through the
paper.
h. Microscopic examination/ inspection – for possible presence
of dirt, foreign particles, imperfections, wire marks or unusual fibers.
These may be deciding factors in determining whether or not the same
manufacturer made two pieces of paper.

3. Physical examination Causing a Perceptible Change

This is done only if sufficient samples area available and if prior
authorization from the court is required. This can be done:
a. Bursting strength or Pop Test – The apparent pressure necessary
to burst a hole in a sheet when property 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 stands before
breaking.
c. Accelerated aging test – there are some methods of aging a
document artificially namely:
1. Soaking coffee solution
2. Soaking in a tea solution
3. Exposure to charcoal
4. Ironing
5. Heating in an oven
6. Exposure to ultra violet light

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 d. Absorption test – may be 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.
A. Fiber composition
The examination is purely microscopic and it determines the
material used and nature of processing. This may be 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.

Reagents:
a. 2grams of Potassium iodide, 1.5grams of iodine, 2ml glycerin and
20 ml water.
b. 1. 20 grams of Zinc chloride and 10ml water
2. 2 grams of Potassium iodide, 1 gram of iodine and 5ml water.
Mix 1 and 2 and allow the mixture to stand and decant clear supernatant
liquid for use. (the solution is Zinc chloride)
c. 1 gram phloroglucine, 25ml water and 5ml conc. HCl
d. 10% solution of aniline sulfate.

B. SIZING MATERIAL – The Sizing materials may be 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 sulfuric acid is added. Positive result is reddish- 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.

TYPES OF INK
1. Gallotanic ink or iron- nutgall ink (blue)
Today is the most frequently used ink for making entries in the
record books and for business purposes. Gallotanic ink 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 it removal more difficult to accomplish. The color
changes undergone by this ink in the process of oxidation provide a
valuable means of estimating the approximate age of the writing.
BLUE= with the naked eye; very recent

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 VIOLET = less recent
BLACK= still less recent

2. Logwood ink (black)

The color depends on the inorganic salt added, but they turn black
on drying and standing. It is made of a saturated solution of logwood to
which a very small amount of Potassium dichromate is added.
Hydrochloric acid is added to prevent the formation of a precipitate.
Phenol is added as a preservative. The ink is inexpensive and does not
corrode steel pen. It will not be washed off the paper; even fresh, it flows
freely.

3. Nigrosine ink or aniline ink (blue-black or purple-black)

It is made of a coal tar product called nigrosine dissolved in water.
It is easily smudge, affected by moisture, and may be washed off from the
paper with little difficulty.

4. Carbon ink, Chinese ink or Indian ink

It is the oldest material known. Today, finely divided carbon is held
in colloidal suspension and used to produce deep black drawing and
writing ink. I t is made of carbon in the form of lampblack. It does not
penetrate deeply into the fibers of the paper so it may easily be washed
off. It does not affected by the usual ink-testing reagents.

5. Colored Writing 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.

6. Ballpoint ink
It is made of fast-dye solution in glycol-type solvents like carbitol,
glycol, or oleic
acid. Paper chromatography can best analyze this ink.

TEST FOR INK

1. Physical Method /Test
It is applied to determine the color and presence of alterations,
erasures, and destructions of sizes with the use of a stereoscope, hand
lens, and microscope.

2. Chemical test/ Spot Test

It is a simple test wherein different chemicals or reagents are
applied to the ink strokes, and the chemical reactions or characteristics,
color reactions, or other changes in the ink are observed.

ULTRAVIOLET POWDER EXAMINATION

Ultraviolet Examination

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 This is the application of ultraviolet light (a type of radiation with
shorter wavelength but higher in frequency than the commonly
recognized on visible light) in the material to be investigated.

PURPOSE OF ULTRAVIOLET EXAMINATION

The ultraviolet examination aims to determine the presence of
ultraviolet fluorescent powder on dusted money (marked money) and to
determine the presence of ultraviolet fluorescent powder on the hands of
the suspect. This examination is useful on crimes such as illegal
recruitment, extortion, and drug buy-bust operations where offenders are
caught through entrapment.’

ILLEGIBLE WRITING
It is unnecessary writing which is not capable of being read usually
made on checks, birth certificates, passports, and transcripts of records.

Example of illegible writing

1. Erasures – It is the removal of writing from the paper. It can be made
mechanically or chemically.
2. Obliteration - refers to obscuring writing by superimposing ink,
pencil or other marking materials.
3. Sympathetic ink - refers to substances used for the invisible writing.
4. Indented writing - refers to a term applied to the partially visible
depression appearing on a sheet of paper underneath the one where the
visible writings appear.
5. Writing on Carbon paper – Always remember that used sheets of
carbon paper can be made readable.
6. Contact Writing – Blank paper may contain tracers of ink because of
previous contact with some writings.

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