MÖSSBAUER
MEASUREMENTS
ON DOLLAR AND
EURO MONEY
PIGMENTS
V. Rusanov
Department of Atomic Physics,
University of Sofia, Bulgaria
K. Chakarova
American College of Sofia, Bulgaria
H. Winkler
A. X. Trautwein
University of Lübeck, Germany
“Gütlich, Bill, Trautwein: Mössbauer Spectroscopy and Transition Metal Chemistry@Springer-Verlag 2009”
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
The currency of the European Union (EU) is a very hot target for forgery. According to the Central Bank of
the EU more than 500 000 counterfeited bills appeared on the money market in 2003 - about every tenth of
them was localized in Germany, amounting to an overall loss of about 3 400 000 Euro as estimated by the
German Federal Bank (Bundesbank). A center of industry for counterfeiting Euro bills has become Bulgaria,
however, forgery is spreading more and more also over countries less far away from Germany. The reason for
this situation is that practically everybody who has enough criminal energy is able to produce forged bank
notes: a reasonable scanner and color printer and a graphics programme of average quality - and ready is the
home made forgery. Source (text in German): SPIEGEL ONLINE - 2 March 2004
“Gütlich, Bill, Trautwein: Mössbauer Spectroscopy and Transition Metal Chemistry@Springer-Verlag 2009”
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
Mössbauer studies show that a
number of valuable monetary units dollars, pounds, yens, old German
marks, and others - are printed using
dyes which contain considerable
amounts of iron.
Mössbauer spectra of German marks.
(a) A spectrum taken from a bank
note of 20 DM. (b) A spectrum of
two bank notes of 100 DM (old
bills). (c) A spectrum of two bank
notes of 50 DM. (d) A spectrum of a
wad of ten 100 DM (new bills).
V. Rusanov, V. Angelov, Ts. Tsacheva, and S. Ormandjiev,
On the possibility of the Mössbauer test for bank note
forgeries and printer ink control Nuclear Instruments and
Methods in Physics Research, B 73, 417-424 (1993).
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
Mössbauer spectra (a, b) of a forged and a true 100
USD bank note, respectively. The bank notes are
properly folded and rolled as shown. The regions
from which the spectra are taken are indicated on
the bank note photo. The arrows mark the perforation which makes the forgeries invalid.
V. Rusanov, V. Angelov, Ts. Tsacheva, and S. Ormandjiev, On the possibility of the
Mössbauer test for bank note forgeries and printer ink control Nuclear Instruments
and Methods in Physics Research, B 73, 417-424 (1993).
A-sites
B-sites
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
3+
Fe
1670
1665
1660
1655
1650
1645
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
A-sites
B-sites
2
4
6
8
3+
Fe
10
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
B-sites
3+
Fe
3330
3320
3290
a
3280
1480
1475
3270
1470
1465
A-sites
3300
-10
1485
3340
3310
a
1640
1490
4
1675
Counts , 10
Counts, 10
4
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
-10
b
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
4
6
8
10
3+
968
Fe
1460
1560
-10 -8
-6
A-sites
B-sites
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
3+
Fe
1555
10
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
966
964
1550
962
1545
1540
960
b
1535
1530
c
958
1525
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
Velocity, mm/s
Mössbauer spectra obtained at room temperature from
three counterfeit 100 USD bank notes (old bill). They
originate from one and the same source, showing
identical spectra, although the numbers and the years
of issue on the bank notes are different.
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
8
10
Velocity, mm/s
Mössbauer spectra obtained at room temperature from
counterfeit 100 USD bank notes: (a) “high quality”
forgery printed with iron-bearing pigments; (b) counterfeit bank note printed with simple carbon black dye.
V. Rusanov, K. Chakarova, and T. Madolev, Mössbauer spectroscopy investigation
of the properties and stability of dollar bank note pigments, Applied Spectroscopy,
56, 1228-1236 (2002).
Counts, 10
4
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
1850
A-sites
B-sites
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
3+
Fe
1840
1830
1820
1810
1800
2170
2160
a
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
A-sites
B-sites
Green dye
10
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
2150
2140
2130
2120
Mössbauer spectra obtained at room temperature from
single genuine 100 USD bank notes. The sextet with
the lowest magnetic splitting associated with the green
dye pigment shows a strongly varying intensity from
nearly zero intensity (a), to very high intensity (c).
b
2110
-10 -8
-6
A-sites
2070
B-sites
Green dye
2065
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
3+
10
Fe3O4
Fe3O4
Fe
The green ink on the back of the early issues was
identified (G. S. Hall and C. R. Chambliss, Applied
Spectroscopy, 58, 1334-1340 (2004)) as being the
compound pigment Pigment Green 15, also know
as chrom green
PbSO4·xPbCrO4·yFe4[Fe(CN)6]
precipitated onto a base of baryte BaSO4 and Paris
white CaCO3.
2060
2055
2050
2045
c
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
Velocity, mm/s
10
V. Rusanov, K. Chakarova, and T. Madolev, Mössbauer spectroscopy investigation
of the properties and stability of dollar bank note pigments Applied Spectroscopy,
56, 1228-1236 (2002).
Transmission
1.004
A-sites
1.002
Fe3O4
B-sites
Fe3O4
3+
Fe
1.000
0.998
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and
Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on
Dollar and Euro money pigments.
0.996
0.994
0.992
0.990
0.988
0.986
0.984
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
Velocity, mm/s
1.6
1.4
1.2
IG/IA
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
 /A
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6 0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
I B/I A
1.0
1.2
1.4
Distribution of the measured bank notes in a
coordinate system with axes: ratio between
the intensity of the B- and A-sites in
magnetite IB/IA, ratio between the intensity of
the green dye sextet and the intensity of the
A-sites in magnetite IG/IA, and the ratio of
the experimental line width for the first line
of the B- and A-sites of magnetite ΓB/ΓA. genuine 100 USD issued between 1934 and
1993 (without the issue of 1990), - genuine
100 USD issued 1990, The boundary ( ) of
the 1990 sample is marked. - counterfeit
100 USD old bill, - counterfeit 100 USD
new bill, and - counterfeit 50 USD new
bill. Authentic and counterfeit bank note with
similar parameters are marked ( ).
All counterfeited bank notes (five 100 USD bank
notes old bill, five 100 USD bank notes new bill and
three 50 USD bank notes new bill) are grouped
closely together with parameters 1.0 ≤ IB/IA ≤ 1.3,
1.4 ≤ ΓB/ΓA ≤ 1.9, and IG/IA = 0. This is evidence
that if not the forgeries then at least the dyes surely
originate from a common source of dissemination.
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
100 €
Ca, K 
2500
2000
Ca, K 
Ti, K 
1500
2500
500
Ti, K 
1500
Mg, K 
Al, K 
S, K 
Cl, K 
K, K 
Ti, K 
Mn, K 
Fe, K 
e
K, K 
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
d
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
c
0
Ti, K 
Mn, K 
Fe, K 
Fe, K 
Mn, K 
500
500
Ti, K 
Cl, K 
K, K 
1000
Ca, K 
Si, K 
S, K 
1000
Ti, K 
1000
500
S, K 
Cl, K 
Mg, K 
Al, K 
Ca, K 
Mg, K 
Al, K 
Si, K 
S, K 
Cl, K 
K, K 
Ca, K 
1500
Si, K 
2000
Ti, K 
5€
Fe, K 
2000
Ca, K 
Counts
1000
1500
Cu, K 
Cu, K 
10 €
2500
Ca, K 
500
Ti, K 
Ti, K 
1000
Si, K 
S, K 
Cl, K 
K, K 
Ti, K 
2000
Ca, K 
20 €
Ca, K 
2000
2500
1500
Si, K 
50 €
Ca, K 
2500
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
b
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
a
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Energy, keV
X-ray spectra of the measured EURO bank notes. On the 100 EURO bank note the site of sampling is marked with a
red circle. The element composition is related to chemical compounds added to the paper as whitening and filler agents
like Ti2O, CaCO3, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, and some calcination CaSO4 or precipitation BaSO4 products. Measurements
showed comparatively high concentration of iron in the 5 EURO bank note and very small concentration in the 10, 20,
50 and 100 EURO bank notes.
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
Transmission
Fe3O4, A-sites
1.001
Fe3O4, B-sites
-Fe
1.000
0.999
0.998
5€
0.997
0.996
10 €
1.0005
1.0000
0.9995
20 €
1.0005
1.0000
0.9995
-Fe
1.0005
1.0000
0.9995
50 €
0.9990
0.9985
0.9980
0.9975
100 €
1.0005
1.0000
0.9995
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
Velocity, mm/s
Mössbauer spectra obtained at
room temperature from genuine
5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 EURO
bank notes. The Mössbauer
measurements performed by
Gütlich with 10 EURO bank
notes revealed small quantities
of magnetite and α-Fe. Also in
200 EURO bank notes small
quantities of iron have been
detected. The differences in the
X-ray and Mössbauer results are
most likely due to different areas
used to accumulate the spectra
of the complicated color surface
of the EURO bank notes.
Rusanov, Chakarova, Winkler and Trautwein, Mössbauer measurements on Dollar and Euro money pigments.
In this study Mössbauer spectroscopy as an analytical nondestructive method of analysis has been used for an exotic
application in the field of authentic and counterfeit money pigments. The Mössbauer parameters of the pigments used
in 13 different false bank notes printed in different years are very similar. This is evidence that if not all counterfeited
bank notes then at least the dyes surely have the same source of dissemination. The detected instability of the
authentic green dye pigment properties is amazing. The common feature for all of them seems to be their green color
appearance only. Some private communications claim the ground for such differences. “BEP utilizes inks
manufactured by private industry as well as inks manufactured at BEP, and inks/ink pigments have been purchased
from different manufacturers. As long as performance requirements are satisfied, no restrictions are placed on the
pigment composition, which may differ depending upon ink manufacturer. Mössbauer spectra appear to be extremely
pigment specific, so this could be the source of the differences you have observed.” [1]. The Mössbauer spectra allow
sensitive detecting of chemical differences of pigments on a molecular level. The method can be used for quality
control of the manufactured pigments, their properties and stability, and for monitoring the altering and deteriorating
during circulation. It could be applied in law court and forensic studies for authentication. A new set of measurements
using the synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microprobe setup at DESY Hamburg, HASYLAB, beam line L will be
provided soon. Using the brilliant synchrotron source for X-ray fluorescence excitation will allow the estimation of
chemical elements between 20 and 92 with very low detection limits and answer the questions about the
dissemination of the counterfeit money. Evaluation of the “forensic” ability of the Mössbauer spectroscopy could be
given, too. The common use of iron-bearing pigments and iron oxides, carbonate and phosphate compounds as fillers
and anti-corrosion components broadens the applications of Mössbauer spectroscopy to fine art works, archeology,
automobile and airplane industry.
[1] R. G. Stone, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, personal communication.
Acknowledgements
One of the authors (V. R.) would like to thank the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for the research fellowship
grant kindly given in the special program Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. Special thanks are due to Mr. T.
Madolev for the assistance in the choice of authentic and counterfeit USD bank notes and to Mrs. Ts. Tsacheva for
the help with EDXRF analysis.