Chromotography

Aim: To separate the different pigments from ink using chromatography.

Hypothesis: I this the dot of colour will spread right to the top of the strip of the paper, and through the process, the colour will fade.

Equipment:

• Felt tip pen
• Filter paper strips
• Test tube
• Measuring cylinder
• Pencil.

Method:

• Draw a line across the filter paper in pencil, 5cm from the bottom.
• Draw a coloured dot in the centre of the line.
• Measure out 10mL of water and place in the test tube.
• Place the filter paper in the test tube and fold over the side. MAKE SURE THE PENCIL LINE IS NOT IN THE WATER.
• Wait for 5 minutes and observe the results

Observation:

My first colour - For my first experiment which was a bright magenta colour, It didn't change into any other colour. But it did fade, the dot went up as the water was going up when the paper absorbed more water. When you took out the paper you could that this colour was not made with many colours.

My second colour - For my second experiment which the colour black, I was really surprised by the results. The colours in black were really concentrated so it didn't really fade that much. I was surprised because it was made with lots of colours, like orange, brown, purple, and blue.

As an extra experiment, my partner and I did a rainbow to see what would happen, and it looked really pretty. The colours just kept mixing so it was kind of like going on top of each other. But I think since it lots of colours on it, it takes longer to get the paper to absorb more water.

Conclusion:

My Hypothesis was kind of right because it happened for my first colour but not really for the other two. I think it's because it depends on the colour you use like if it's a primary colour it won't be made with lots of other colours. But a non-primary colour would probably be made in many colours.