TmNhRhMgBrSe
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Will metals and chemicals in tissue paper contaminate my experiments?
How much metals and chemicals in tissue paper? If I use tissue paper to filter solutions will they contaminate my experiments?
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mayko
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Depends on the kind of tissue - some have lotions/dyes which might leach out. Coffee filters are probably better.
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"Chemicals, chemicals... I need chemicals!" - George Hayduke
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MrHomeScientist
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Depends on the precision and purity required for your experiments.
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Vosoryx
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I second the coffee filters. They work great for me - cheap as crap too. The only issue i have is that sometimes they rip if you're stirring the
mixture or scraping it out.
Pick up some actual filter paper on eBay or something if you're really concerned.
Obviously, fritted filters are generally the best, but they require vacuum systems and more advanced equipment.
"Open your mind son, before someone opens it for you." - Dr. Walter Bishop
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draculic acid69
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Definitely just invest in some legit filter paper.tissue and paper towels are prone to ripping and they aren't great filter material they might be
acceptable for plant matter but that's bout it.it depends on what your filtering and the kind of results you need.i suspect that printer paper has
stuff in it that might dissolve into solution but I'm not sure.invest in real filter paper or at least coffee filters but the tiny pores swell and
plug up easily when filtering more than about a cup of anything.aim for the real deal.
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Herr Haber
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And when you have a dozen different papers be sure to know what supplier supplies which filters...
It is very sad to have a prefered paper and not finding where you bought it 
The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words 'act upon' meant. - Ira Remsen
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teodor2
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When you just start your lab you need a lot of things to buy, so the filter paper could be not in the first priority indeed. Until latest month or two
I used coffee filters both with vacuum and ordinary filtration (cutting by a paper template when necessary). For most experiments the quality is OK.
Even if you have a "true" filter paper the pore sizes can make a big difference. So, I think until you can filter with a coffee filter and get a clear
filtrate it is OK. I usually wash the paper with distilled water before filtration. Generally washing with the same solvent you use in the solution
should remove contamination that matters.
When I was 10 years old or less I didn't know anything about "paper" and did all filtrations with cotton wool plugged into the narrowest part of the
funnel. This is more time-consuming and sometimes requires replacing of the plug in the middle of the process but still can work in a case you have no
paper.
And .. to precisely answer your question ... the paper itself can contaminate, of course, in case of your solution is strong alkaline.
[Edited on 12-7-2019 by teodor2]
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