Ink Chromatography

Background Information and Research

1. Chromatography is a group of methods used to separate a solution. 2. In my agriculture class we used chromatography to separate plant pigments. It can also be used in working with DNA and testing contamination in water. 3. I did not use any research other than the lesson from the Florida Virtual School website and my previous knowledge of the subject.

Purpose
The purpose of this investigation is to compare the effects of alcohol and water as methods to separate colors using the method of Chromatography.

Materials:

Four different markers (including one black permanent marker) Rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol Coffee filters (2) Tall glasses or plastic cups (2) Pencil Ruler Tape Table salt Water Measuring cups/spoons Clean pitcher or 2-liter bottle

Procedure:
1. Cut the coffee filter into a rectangle measuring three cm by nine cm. Two of these strips will be needed. 2. Use a pencil to draw a line one cm (1/2 inch) from the edge of one end of one strip of paper. 3. Make four pencil dots along this line, about 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) apart. Underneath each dot, label the marker that will be tested. 4. Use the markers to draw a different colored dot on each of the appropriate pencil marks on the paper strip. Allow the ink to dry, and then go back and add more color to each dot.

5. Next, you will prepare the salt solution. Do this by mixing 1/8 teaspoon of salt and three cups of water in a clean pitcher or 2-liter bottle. Shake the solution until it is dissolved. This will produce a 1% salt solution. 6. Pour the salt solution into a clean tall glass so that the liquid level is 1/4 inch (0.5 cm). 7. Tape the strip to a pencil and rest the pencil on top of the jar so that the strip hangs into the jar so that the strip is just touching the surface of the solvent solution. The colored dots should be above the surface of the liquid. Make sure that the colored spots do not come in direct contact with the liquid in the bottom of the glass. 8. As the water passes through the dots, it will begin to separate the dyes. When the salt water is 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) from the top edge of the paper, remove it from the glass and place it on a clean, flat surface to dry. 9. Repeat steps two through nine (using the second strip of paper and a clean glass) to test the same four colors using the alcohol instead of the saltwater solution at the bottom of the glass.

Data and Observations

Since yellow seems to be a component in almost every color, I predict that each one of them will have yellow. I believe the purple will have red, the green will have brown, the brown will have black, and the black will have red and orange. Water Solution Color Black Purple Green Brown Distance Traveled in Cm 3 3.5 4.5 5 Alcohol Solution Color Black Purple Green Brown Distance Traveled in Cm 2.5 3.9 4.1 4 Pigments Separated Yellow, purple Orange, blue, purple Green, blue Orange, pink, purple Pigments Separated Black Purple, pink Green, light green, blue Pink, orange,

Discussion and Conclusion:

While doing this lab, I had to redo steps 1,2,3,4 and 7 multiple times because my sister kept messing up my work. I would recommend doing labs in a place safe from curious three year

olds. I would also recommend mixing the salt and water together in a container that will not leak. While I was mixing the salt and water, some of it leaked out which could have affected the results of the experiment. My initial prediction about every pigment containing yellow was wrong. Only one of them contained yellow. The alcohol solution seemed to separate the colors better than the water solution. The water solution traveled higher and faster than the alcohol solution. If I had stopped the separation process halfway up the paper, fewer colors would have been shown. The pigment that traveled the highest using water was brown, and the pigment that traveled the highest using alcohol was green.