Method In this experiment, we tested our hypothesis through the use of chromatography paper. Chromatography paper have the ability to separate colored chemicals or substances. We also used 10 grams of grinded coleus leaves and grass leaves, 90% acetone, magnesium sulfate, pencil, ruler, forceps, 1 capillary, 1 jar with lid, and a timer to conduct this experiment. We began this experiment by grinding the 10 grams of coleus leaves and grass leaves in 10mL of 90% acetone. We added a pinch of magnesium sulfate before we began grinding. Next, we lined our rectangular piece of chromatography paper 3 cm from the bottom. Using a capillary, we collected the chlorophyll extract made and gently applied it to the line. We did repeat this process six …show more content…
This Rf value indicates that the pigment is not very soluble in the solvent. The Rf value also helps one identify the pigment. My table also shows that the chlorophyll b pigment had an Rf value of 0.6. Lastly, my table shows that the xanthophyll pigment had an Rf value of 0.8. The Rf value of chlorophyll b is closest to 1, which indicates that the pigment is soluble in the solvent. The bands of color travel the greatest distance are more soluble than the bands that traveled less distance. In this experiment, we did not see chlorophyll a or carotenoids pigments. This could be due to the fact that we used coleus leaves and grass leaves, which do not have a large quantity of carotenoids or chlorophyll a. If we were to use spinach, then we would have seen a different concentration of pigments because the spinach leaf contains certain pigments at a higher …show more content…
Chlorophyll a absorbs blue and red and reflects green. The Elodea leaf should have had chlorophyll a on the chromatography paper. However, it did not for many possible reasons. The Elodea leaf chlorophylls could have been damaged in the grinding process, which could result in a lack of chlorophyll a. The bottle containing the chromatography paper could have been mishandled. The solution could have touched the pigment line, which would result in skewed results. My group ensured that we carefully moved the jar containing the chromatography to prevent the solution from touching the