How does "Magic Paper" work?

chemdude1232 · 3 months

I think what happens is that there is a plastic backsheet with a dark layer, then a white layer. When wetted, the white layer becomes transparent, revealing the dark underside.

Could be wrong though (please, somebody correct me if that's the case).

base736 · 3 months

I've never seen this before, but just wanted to point out that there's also a red version on Amazon, so I assume what's being used here is presumably one of a class of compounds (or something else entirely).

Edit: Alternatively, can the OP confirm or refute the idea that water makes this stuff transparent, allowing the colour behind to show through? In fact, looking at the colours here that seems the most likely possibility to me...

johnnybside · 3 months

here's what it looks like in action

I too am interested in how this works...

JoylessBrotato · 3 months

My idea of it is that there is bits of an ink stick stuck between or embedded in the paper. When the water touches it, the water comes through the paper to "activate" the ink.

baggier · 3 months

I made something similar once. By drying alumina onto a cloth on paper with phenolphthalein , iIt dried white, but any water caused the alumina base to turn the phenolphthein red (reversibly). It was for a friend who wanted to develope a water based tag game. It may be something similar

Stonelocomotief · 3 months

Isn't it just a hydrate? Such as CuSO4 which is blue when dry and white/light blueish when wet because it captives water in it's crystal lattice.

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