Paper Chemistry: Past to Present – Process Engineering for Advanced Chemistry Lessons

Abstract

Paper is an omnipresent and everyday composite material. However, not all papers are alike. Different kinds of paper have characteristics specific to the respective application area which are modified by the use of different paper additives in paper production. Because those paper products are an integral part of the students' everyday lives, adequate model experiments have been developed that enable the students to reproduce complex paper production processes in chemistry class. This article therefore presents two reliable hands-on experiments that show the history of paper gluing (experiment I) as well as the use and detection of polyvinyl alcohols as typical sizing agent of different kinds of paper (experiment II). Both experiments primarily use easily accessible everyday materials, which from a didactic perspective again create an everyday reference for the students. From an organizational and experimental perspective the use of everyday materials results in an inexpensive and environmentally friendly lab work with low safety-risks, so that the experiments make a valuable contribution to the introduction of paper chemistry for advanced chemistry teaching in secondary schools.