Blotter history

Blotting paper is made from different materials of varying thickness, softness, etc. depending on the application. It is often made of cotton and manufactured on special paper machines. Blotting paper is reputed to be first referred to in the English language in the 15th century but there is a tradition in Norfolk, England that it was invented by accident at Lyng Mill on the River Wensum.

It is reported that a Berkshire (England) paper mill worker failed to add sizing to a batch of paper that was being produced. The batch was discarded. Subsequently, someone tried to write on a piece of this discarded “scrap” paper and found that it rapidly absorbed any ink applied, making it unusable for writing. Its marked absorbency having been noted, however, led to its subsequently being produced and used as blotting paper, replacing sand, which was the material that had been used for absorbing superficial wet ink. In a time when most paper was produced from “rags”, red/pink rags, from which it was difficult to remove all color and had generally been discarded, were now directed to the production of blotters, hence the historically characteristic pink color of blotters.

Chemical uses of the blotter paper

Blotting paper is used in chemical analyses as stationary phase in thin-layer chromatography. Blotting paper is also used in pool/spa maintenance to measure pH balance. Small squares of blotting paper attached to disposable plastic strips are impregnated with pH sensitive compounds usually extracted from lichens, especially Roccella tinctoria. These strips are used similarly to litmus strips, however filter paper is usually used for litmus strips, generally to allow for the property of diffusion.

Another chemical use is to impregnate the blotter paper with a liquid solution which includes an specific concentration of the chemical of your interest, like research chemicals. Normally, these blotter papers are perforated into individual doses which facilitates its division and proper research. You can buy some of our research chemicals in blotter form here.

Special terms and conditions to buy Blotters

All our research chemicals, including the ones in blotter form, are strictly sold for laboratory and analytic purposes only. If you purchase our offered products from outside of the Netherlands, please check the legal status in your country before ordering since you’re responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction.

If you want to be sure a research chemical in blotter form is available for your country, please read the product description. Another way would be to create an account with us and insert your shipping address in your account. That way, if the product is blocked for your country, the system won’t allow you to add it to your cart.

Depending on the country of destination, you’ll have the option to select the airmail shipping method and the registered airmail one, which is trackable and it’s insured by us in the case of lost. Also, the payment method depends on the country of destination, where you should be able to pay using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and Monero between others, and by bank transfer in some cases.

Once we receive the payment, your order with Research Chemicals in blotter form will be set to accepted and we will send you a new email notification. If the payment is received before 16h (CET), your order will be dispatched the next day.