CSI- Chromatography

This week we covered Chromatography!


Chromatography is the physical separation of a mixture into its individual components.

So I had the students test 4 different black markers and observe the separation of the inks and dyes. They filled in this chart with their observations.

They tested a vis a vis, a Crayola marker, a permanent marker, and an Expo marker. As expected, the permanent marker did not separate because the dyes and inks are insoluble in water. The rest of the markers separated into different colors.

 

These strips are 3 different black markers. The lighting is horrible but you can still see a separation of colors.

I then gave the students an opportunity to let their creative juices flow and they came up with nice designs and different colors on coffee filters.

They really enjoyed the activity and understood the concept. The colors on the outer edge of the filter paper are the most soluble which is why they traveled faster.