Cobalt (II) chloride paper, in strips for detection of water vapour. These test papers can be used for the quick and easy detection of moisture. Cobalt chloride paper is pink when moist and blue when dried at 40°C – 50°C. They can also be used to indicate when desiccants such as silica gel are exhausted.
Commercially, cobalt (II) chloride is often used to make sealants, adhesives, and glues. It is also used for electroplating, particularly for plating objects with cobalt metal. Surface treating metal is another common industrial use of the compound.
Cobalt (II) chloride hexahydrate is a metal used with other metals to make metal alloys. Because cobalt and nickel can be found in many of the same metal products, allergies to both metals can develop.
