Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the concept of chromatography and be able to conduct your own chromatography experiment.
Materials and Prep
- Coffee filters (cut into strips)
- Markers (various colors)
- A glass of water
- A pencil
- Scissors
No prior knowledge is required for this lesson.
Activities
- Take a coffee filter strip and draw a small dot in the center using one of the markers.
- Fill the glass with water.
- Place the coffee filter strip in the glass, ensuring that only the bottom part touches the water.
- Observe what happens as the water moves up the coffee filter strip.
- Repeat steps 1-4 with different markers and compare the results.
Fourth Grade Talking Points
- "Chromatography is a scientific technique used to separate and identify different components of a mixture."
- "In our experiment, we will be using coffee filters and markers to see how different colors are made up of different components."
- "When we place the coffee filter strip in water, the water will move up the strip and carry the components of the marker ink with it."
- "As the water moves, it will separate the different components of the ink, showing us the different colors that make up the marker."
- "By comparing the results with different markers, we can see that each marker has its own unique combination of colors."