Name:__________________________________________________ Score:______

Section:___________________ Group:____ Date:_______

CHROMATOGRAPHY OF LEAVES

LABORATORY ACTIVITY NO. ____

I. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the laboratory period, at least 90% of the students should be able to:
a. demonstrate paper chromatography;
b. describe the rate at which the substances separate from the mixture;
c. differentiate the adsorptivity of different colored pigments; and
d. relate the results of the experiment to everyday living.

II. MATERIALS AND CHEMICALS

Beaker or Big-mouthed bottle Chromatography paper
Clean cloth or Gauze pad Pencil
Pipette Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)
Medicinal dropper or fine glass tubing Sand
Mortar and pestle Fresh medicinal leaves
Scotch tape

III. SAFETY MEASURES

Always wear a laboratory gown when performing the activity.
Ethanol is flammable.
Wear safety goggles for eye protection.

IV. PROCEDURE
1. Finely cut up some leaves and fill a mortar to about 2 cm deep.
2. Add a pinch of sand and six drops of methanol using a pipette.
3. Grind the mixture into a clean piece of cloth or gauze pad.
4. Place the mixture for at least three minutes.
5. Squeeze the juice of the mixture into a beaker.
6. On a strip of chromatography paper, draw a pencil line 3 cm from the bottom.
7. Using a fine glass tube or a medicine dropper, place the liquid from the leaf extract onto
the center of the line. Keep the spot as small as possible.
8. Air dry the spot, then add another spot-on top. Add five more drops of solution, letting
each one dry before putting on the next. Doing this, you will build a very concentrated
small spot on the paper.
9. Put a small amount of ethanol in a beaker and hang the paper until it dips in the ethanol.
Make sure that the ethanol level is below the spot in the paper.
10. Leave the setup until the methanol has soaked near to the top.
 11. Mark with a pencil how high the ethanol gets on the paper and let the chromatogram
dry.
12. Clean all apparatus and your laboratory tables. Wash your hands thoroughly before you
leave the laboratory and after all work is finished.

V. OBSERVATIONS AND QUESTIONS

1. How many substances are on the chromatogram?

2. Describe the colors seen in the paper.

3. Which color moved the farthest?

VI. CONCLUSION
1. Relate the results you have obtained to the principle of chromatography.

2. Give practical examples or instances that show chromatography.