Have child use washable markers to draw a design on white coffee filter. (Dark, bright colors work best, but any design works.)
Fold coffee filter in half and then in half again and again until it is a skinny triangle, narrow enough to fit inside the jar. Use binder clip to clip the top (straight edge) of the coffee filter triangle onto the center of the craft stick.
Place pointed end of coffee filter triangle into the jar of water and let the craft stick rest across the top of the jar to hold it in place. Make sure the tip of coffee filter triangle is touching the water. Add water, if necessary.
Have child observe how the colors separate and spread as the water travels up through the coffee filter triangle.
When the water line reaches the top of the coffee filter triangle, pull it out, unfold it, and lay it flat on paper towels to dry. After completely dry, display marker chromatography art as is or use to make crafts.
Notes
To Make a Chromatography Butterfly:
Fold your coffee filter accordion style, then twist a pipe cleaner around the middle before unfolding the wings. Trim and bend the ends of the pipe cleaner into cute little butterfly antennae.
To Make a Chromatography Flower:
Place 2-3 coffee filters on top of one another, then fold them in half and then in half again. Pinch the pointed end and wrap it tightly with the end of a pipe cleaner. Then separate and unfold the coffee filters a bit to form the flower.
The Science Behind Marker Chromatography:
According to Britannica Kids, paper chromatography is a "technique for separating the components, or solutes, of a mixture on the basis of the relative amounts of each solute distributed between a moving fluid stream, called the mobile phase, and a contiguous stationary phase. " In other words, it is a way to separate parts of a mixture based on their rate of movement.So, for our marker chromatography experiment, our marker ink is a mixture of pigments. Even though it looks like just one color, it actually has many different color pigments, some heavier and some lighter, that travel at different speeds as the water (our solvent) moves them up through the paper. The heavier pigments will separate out first and move more slowly, while the lighter pigments keep moving faster up the paper, creating the tie-dyed or washed out effect. Try to count how many different colors you see on your final product!Paper chromatography is used every day by industrial and forensic scientists in professional laboratories. This marker chromatography experiment is an easy and safe way to play scientist and artist with your child!
Marker Chromatography Extensions on Learning:
Compare Rates of Absorption — Use different types of filter paper to experiment with different rates of absorption or flow.Compare Different Solvents — Set up separate chromatography experiments, one with water like above and the other using isopropyl alcohol instead of water. Try each one with water-based markers. Then try each one with permanent markers instead.Explore Color Theory — Use only markers in primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) to see how the colors mix to make secondary colors (orange, green, purple).