
Repeat the previous two steps with a yellow marker and all the additional colors you would like to test.Note – do not use the colored marker or pen to write on the strips, as the color or ink will run during the test. Use a pencil to write the color of the marker you just used on the top end of the strip.Your marker line should not touch the sides of your strip Take the brown marker and a paper strip and draw a short (about 1 cm) line on the middle of the pencil line.Draw a pencil line across the width of each paper strip, about one centimeter from the bottom end.Cut an extra strip for each additional color you would like to test. Cut at least two strips, one to test brown and one to test yellow. Cut the coffee filters into strips that are each about one inch wide and at least four inches long.Will your marker ink show different colors as you test it on the filter paper Materials As a result, components of the mixture separate and, in this case, become visible as strips of color on the chromatography paper. Different molecules run up the paper at different rates.

As it does so, it takes part of the mixture with it. A solvent (such as water, oil or isopropyl alcohol) is allowed to run up the paper. The components of the mixture start out in one place on a strip of special paper. Paper chromatography is a method used by chemists to separate the constituents (or parts) of a mixture. One way to see this is to find a way to separate out the individual color molecules from the mixture, to reveal their unique colors. Even though our eye sees the result as one color, each of the separate color molecules stays true to its own color in the mixture. Oftentimes, the colors that we see are a combination of the light reflected by a mixture of different-colored molecules. Some molecules only reflect specific colors it is this reflected, colored light that reaches our eye and tells our brain that we are seeing a certain color. We see objects because they reflect light into our eyes. To find a science fair project that is just right for you, browse our library of over 1,200 Science Fair Project Ideas or use the Topic Selection Wizard to get a personalized project recommendation. Good science fair projects have a stronger focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data. This activity is not recommended for use as a science fair project.
