Tests and Studies: Chromatography
Chromatography is used to identify the range of colour in the leaf and takes about 27 hours.
What do we need?
- Healthy, green leaves
- Jam jar
- Pestle and mortar
- Nail varnish remover
- Kitchen paper
- Pen
How do we do it?
- Take a few single leaves and place them in the mortar.
- Using a twisting action, pound down on the leaves with the pestle to remove some of the leaf’s moisture and to break down the leaf’s walls.
- Places the crushed leaves in a jam jar.
- Pour the nail varnish remover (which contains acetone) on top.
- Place the lid on top of the jar and shake.
- After 24 hours wrap a piece of kitchen paper around a pen so that some kitchen paper reaches the liquid in the jar when the pen is placed horizontally over the top of the jar.
- Leave for 2 hours.
- Monitor the colour on the kitchen paper.
My results?
This leaf just contained a few levels of the colour green.