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Chemical Composition of a Fountain Pen Ink

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M. José-Yacamán

Laboratorios de Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido y Difractometría de Rayos-X, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, México, D. F., México

J. Martín-Gil , M. C. Ramos-Sánchez and F. J. Martín-Gil

Laboratorio de Química Sostenible, Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícola y Forestal, Universidad de Valladolid—Escuela Téchnica Superior de Ingenierías Agrarias, Palencia-3407, Spain

J. Chem. Educ., 2006, 83 (10), p 1476

DOI: 10.1021/ed083p1476

Publication Date (Web): October 1, 2006

Abstract

The aim of this article is to characterize a sample of black ink (Parker Quink), widely used in 1950–1980, and to compare it with other traditional inks. In addition to chemists, collectors and historians may be interested in this type of study because the alteration of the "permanent" nature of this and other inks can threaten the survival of documents. There is agreement that the main cause of decay is the iron(II) sulfate content of the ink, whose effect is stronger than the destructive action of the acids. The conversion to pyrite and its subsequently loosening can lead to a loss of clarity in the documents. Our data on the chemical composition of the black ink and the different ability of inks to act as a growth substratum for bacteria and fungi may be useful for individuals interested in studying the preservation of writings.