Chromatography

Aim:

To separate the different pigments in inks using paper chromatography.

Equipment:

Ink pens,
A test tube,
a strip of filter paper,
ice-block stick
chromatography solution

Method:

1. Cut a piece of filter paper long enough to reach the bottom of your test tube.
2. Rule a line in pencil 2cm from the bottom of the paper.
3. Fill the test tube with 1cm of chromatography solution.
4. Place a dot of ink above the ruled line.
5. Tape paper to stick and place in solution.
6. Wait and observe.
7. Repeat with 2 other colours.

Results:

Jakita and I did 5 different tests with 4 different colours. The pink, red, and blue tests didn't really show us anything, though it looked really cool. The black, on the other hand, showed us how many pigments actually go in these pens. In the black pen, a range of colours is shown, including blue, yellow, red, and orange. 

        Look at these!

Conclusion:

The pigments in some pens have higher or lower solubility than others. For example, the blue and red pigments in the pens we used had a higher solubility than the pink pen because they travelled higher on the filter paper. Using Chromatography, we can not only figure out the solubility of pigments but find out what pigments were used in a specific pen.