Mass Spectrometry in Forensic Chemistry: 1. Pigment Identification by Direct Mixture Analysis in a Case of Bank Note Falsification

A rapid mass spectrometry procedure, based on direct mixture analysis using conventional electron ionization in both the low and high resolution modes, was used to match pigments present on a counterfeit $100 United States bank note with pigments contained in two inks suspected of having been used. The results demonstrated that the pigments present on the false bank note and those contained in the inks were the same.