NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS OF COLORANTS ON PAPER BY TIME-OF-FLIGHT SECONDARY-ION MASS-SPECTROMETRY

The utility of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) for the analysis of colorants on paper surfaces has been investigated. Twenty-one pen inks and 16 printed paper specimens were studied. The use of static analysis conditions has no detectable effect on the paper and makes SIMS suitable for nondestructive analyses. In cases where the specimen is too large to fit within the instrument, a single paper fiber can be unobtrusively removed and analyzed separately. SIMS permits rapid differentiation of the colorants and provides qualitative identification of some components. The merits of SIMS vs conventional solvent extraction/chromatography methods are discussed, and combined thin-layer chromatography/SIMS analyses of solvent extracts from colored papers are reported.