Discrimination of Ballpoint Pen Inks by High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis and High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Previous research demonstrates that Capillary Zone Electrophoresis has been successful in discriminating between various writing inks, including those found in felt tip and fountain pens. This preliminary study demonstrates ballpoint pen inks being discriminated using High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis (HPCE). Ballpoint pen inks were also tested using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and the results compared with those obtained from HPCE. Methodologies for sample preparation of four black ballpoint pen inks were developed to test a Beckman P/ACE System 5000 for HPCE and a Waters 712 WISP millepore injector system for HPLC. The initial data from HPCE and HPLC consistently differentiated between the four black ballpoint pen ink samples. The advantages of HPCE over HPLC include lower operating costs and the use of buffers rather than solvents. Further research in HPCE and ballpoint pen inks should provide an effective document examination tool for the discrimination of ballpoint inks.