Paper Chromatography Lab
Paper chromatography is a technique which allows one to separate the components present
in a mixture. The separation is due to the differences in solubility in the mixture.
Materials: paper towel, ruler, scissors, 4 different markers, 2 plastic cups
Procedure:
1. Prepare 4 chromatography strips by cutting paper towels into strips 15 cm long and 2
cm wide.
2. Loop one end of each strip around a pencil and adjust it so the strip barely hangs
above the bottom of the cup, then staple it.
3. Draw a single line using a different marker for each strip 1 cm from the bottom.
4. Write the name of the color of the marker IN PENCIL under the line.
5. Place the pencil with 2 strips over the cup, and add water until the water level barely
reaches the chromatography strip.
6. Once the water level almost reaches the pencil, lay the paper towel strips out to dry.
7. Record any observations.
Copy the following data table into your lab report
Data:
Color of
Marker
Colors found after
separation
Dye that traveled
farthest
Dye that traveled
least
Discussion:
1. Based on your data, determine if any of the food colors or inks are mixtures of dyes.
Explain your Reasoning.
2. What patterns did you notice about the different dyes used in the ink?
3. How can chromatography be used to determine if a specific pen was used to write a
note in a bank robbery?
4. If I had 2 markers of the same color, but two different brand names, do you think the
results for the paper chromatography would be the same?
5. Find the two dyes that were used the most in making the markers. What color of dyes
were these?
6. For the two dyes you listed in #5, indicate which markers that dye was present in, and
measure the distance that dye traveled form the initial line.
Dye 1___________
Marker
Distance
traveled
Dye 2___________
Marker
Distance
traveled
7. How does the distance each dye travels compare with each marker? Why do you
think this is?
8. A solution contains an unknown substance. How can you use chromatography to help
identify the unknown substance?
Conclusion:
In your conclusion include 3 paragraphs
A: Describe what you did in this lab
B: Describe your results
C: Identify any possible sources of error, and how you can possibly improve your results next
time.