Alkaline sizing – Have we got it wrong?

Many words have been written regarding alkaline sizing of paper. The learned works often launch directly into cellulose-size reactions. Starch – a carbohydrate with a similar surface chemistry to cellulose – rarely features in the considerations. Yet the contact of size with the starch may be far more intimate and extensive than the contact with cellulose. It is suggested that the reaction of the size with starch is an important and overlooked contribution to our understanding of sizing.