CENTENNIAL HONORS COLLEGE
Western Illinois University
Undergraduate Research Day 2015
Poster Presentation
Forensic Analysis of Lipstick via Thin Layer Chromatography
Adrianna Czerlonko
Faculty Mentor: Brian Bellott
Forensic Chemistry
Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a chemical method that has the ability to separate samples quickly.
Using a specific mobile phase, an analytes are carried across a stationary phase. These analytes are
absorbed at different places on the plate and measured for the retention factor. The retention factor is
calculated as a ratio of the distance of a spot the sample traveled on the stationary phase to the distance
that the mobile phase traveled on the plate. Because forensic chemistry relies on comparison science, this
method is very useful and will be used to identify and classify various red lipsticks. In this research
project, lipstick samples are extracted from a smear on filter paper. The smear will settle and will be
removed from the filter paper using organic matricies to gather the dyes. Using the extracted dyes, they
will be placed on TLC plates and the retention factor will be measured. Using these values from the
retention factor, unknown lipsticks will be able to be compared to known lipsticks during any crime scene
investigation. These tests are done over a sample of different days to gather the most accurate data.