Issue 19, 2015

Investigation of falsified documents via direct analyte-probed nanoextraction coupled to nanospray mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

Microscopy with direct analyte-probed nanoextraction coupled to nanospray ionization mass spectrometry (DAPNe-NSI-MS) is a direct extraction technique that extracts ultra-trace amounts of analyte. It has been proven to extract ink from documents with little to no physical or chemical footprint. In this study, DAPNe has been coupled to Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and NSI-MS to determine if an ink entry from a document was falsified. A handwritten number was altered using a different ink pen to test if the aforementioned techniques could discriminate the original number from the altered number, qualitatively and/or quantitatively. Chemical species from part of the original number, altered number, and a point at which both inks intersect were successfully differentiated by all techniques when using different pens. DAPNe coupled to fluorescence microscopy and Raman spectroscopy was not able to discriminate the forged ink entry when the exact same pen was used to modify the text (due to the same ink formula). However, DAPNe-NSI-MS successfully discerned that the pen was dispensed on different days by quantitating the oxidation process.

Graphical abstract: Investigation of falsified documents via direct analyte-probed nanoextraction coupled to nanospray mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 May 2015
Accepted
09 Jul 2015
First published
10 Jul 2015

Analyst, 2015,140, 6553-6562

Author version available

Investigation of falsified documents via direct analyte-probed nanoextraction coupled to nanospray mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy

V. Huynh, K. C. Williams, T. D. Golden and G. F. Verbeck, Analyst, 2015, 140, 6553 DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01026H

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