Is there a safe chemical that will dissolve tissue paper without harm to humans or plants?

Question

I am a magican, working on a new trick and will need to dissolve some tissue paper as part of the trick. I need a safe chemical that can be held in my hand that will make the tissue paper dissolve.

Answer 1

There are no safe chemicals that will do what you want. They are dangerous, take time to do the job, and leave a mess. There is a solution of copper sulfate and strong ammonia. That leaves a blue solution. There is carbon disulfide (explosively flammable, stinky) and lye (corrosive), which leaves a stinky solution. If you mean face tissue, wet it and palm it off. I have a lot of respect for magicians since reading "The Prestige" and seeing the film. I have heard that if you want to create an effect, then think backward from the effect.

Answer 2

Wow...A lot of it is going to depend on the amount of tissue paper and how fast you want it to dissolve. In the time period I'm assuming, I would say probably not. Sulfuric Acid will do the job, but you won't be able to hold it in your hand. I've been burnt by it before and it did a nasty job on my hand. Maybe Hydrochloric Acid will dissolve it, but probably not in the time period that sulfuric would. Hydrochloric acid can be purchased as Muriatic Acid. Though HCl won't create the skin burn that sulfuric will (or at least not as quickly), if it is too concentrated, it will release HCl gas which will put you on your knees. You could get a decent Organic acid such as Citric or Oxalic Acid and see what it can do with tissue paper. Also, Coleman sells a rapidly biodegradable tissue paper, maybe it would do the job combined with a dilute acid solution. If you somehow did the trick with the acid on your hand and then immediately put baking soda on it, you might be able to keep from significantly defoliating your skin.

Answer 3

Er... tissue paper is made from plants. So any thing that would dissolve one should dissolve/harm the other.

Cellulose paper is insoluble stuff. We can do things to “digest” it. Like grinding it up, or reacting it with acids (sulfuric or nitric work) but it is no longer paper after that.

Some smart guys about 100 years ago reacted paper with nitric acid and then dissolved it in alcohol, filtered the chunks out and let the alcohol evaporate. They made the first photographic films, nitrocellulose. It has a few other uses too.