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Students analyzed
the black inks from different pens found in the Thin Layer
Chromatography
is a process by which a sample is placed on a small piece of special paper, then
put in a container holding a small amount of
solvent.
As the solvent creeps up the paper by
capillary
action, various parts of the sample
travel up the paper at different rates. This allows mixtures of the compounds to
be separated and allows different samples to reveal the different colors used in
their manufacture.
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Most
inks are not made of just one color of ink, but are made of several colors of
inks that combine to form the desired color. Green ink, for example, is a
combination of blue ink and yellow ink. Black ink, which was used to write the
ransom note, is often a combination of several colors. Black inks from different
manufacturers will be composed of different combinations of colors.
