Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29803143›Full record

ArticleForensic science international2018

A comparison between DART-MS and DSA-MS in the forensic analysis of writing inks.

Nicholas Drury, Robert Ramotowski, Mehdi Moini

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Forensic science international, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Applications of DESI and DART Mass Spectrometry in Forensic Science.Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry · 2025
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Roadside Drug Testing Approaches.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Review
  6. Forensic applications of DART-MS: A review of recent literature.Forensic chemistry (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2021
    Article
  7. Interpol review of questioned documents 2016-2019.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2020
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Nicholas DruryDepartment of Forensic Sciences, George Washington University, 2100 Foxhall Rd, Washington, D.C., United States.
Robert RamotowskiU.S. Secret Service, Forensic Services Division, 950 H Street, NW Suite 4200, Washington, D.C. 20223, United States.
Mehdi MoiniDepartment of Forensic Sciences, George Washington University, 2100 Foxhall Rd, Washington, D.C., United States. Electronic address: moini.mehdi@gmail.com.
George Washington University · US

Funding

USSS-FSD DHS USSS/FSD999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ambient ionization mass spectrometry is gaining momentum in forensic science laboratories because of its high speed of analysis, minimal sample preparation, and information-rich results. One such application of ambient ionization methodology includes the analysis of writing inks from questioned documents where colorants of interest may not be soluble in common solvents, rendering thin layer chromatography (TLC) and separation-mass spectrometry methods such as LC/MS (-MS) impractical. Ambient ionization mass spectrometry uses a variety of ionization techniques such as penning ionization in Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART), and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in Direct Sample Analysis (DSA), and electrospray ionization in Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI). In this manuscript, two of the commonly used ambient ionization techniques are compared: Perkin Elmer DSA-MS and IonSense DART in conjunction with a JEOL AccuTOF MS. Both technologies were equally successful in analyzing writing inks and produced similar spectra. DSA-MS produced less background signal likely because of its closed source configuration; however, the open source configuration of DART-MS provided more flexibility for sample positioning for optimum sensitivity and thereby allowing smaller piece of paper containing writing ink to be analyzed. Under these conditions, the minimum sample required for DART-MS was 1mm strokes of ink on paper, whereas DSA-MS required a minimum of 3mm. Moreover, both techniques showed comparable repeatability. Evaluation of the analytical figures of merit, including sensitivity, linear dynamic range, and repeatability, for DSA-MS and DART-MS analysis is provided. To the forensic context of the technique, DART-MS was applied to the analysis of United States Secret Service ink samples directly on a sampling mesh, and the results were compared with DSA-MS of the same inks on paper. Unlike analysis using separation mass spectrometry, which requires sample preparation, both DART-MS and DSA-MS successfully analyzed writing inks with minimal sample preparation.

Indexed as

DART/TOF-MSDSA/TOF-MSForensic scienceInk analysis

Identifiers

PMID29803143
PMCPMC6051893
OpenAlexW2803390588

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.