Chromotography

Activity Summary
Students separate photosynthetic pigments using paper chromatography to explore how photosynthesis works. Students place extracted plant pigments onto a strip of chromatography paper, the stationary phase, and submerge one end of the paper in a solvent, the mobile phase. The distance that each plant pigment moves upward with the solvent front is due to its affinity to the stationary or mobile phase.

Grade Levels
9-12

Learning Objectives
1. Explain how chromatography works
2. List some real-world applications of chromatography
3. Describe the function of photosynthetic pigments and explain why each has a different color

Lesson Materials (view or download)
Lesson Plans
Keywords
stationary phase, mobile phase, affinity

Last updated: 3/4/2015