Scienze e Viaggi

Chlorophyll and chromatography

. We have taken some mimosa leaves and we have stepped on them within a mortar until making them to become a mush in order to let out the chlorophyll from its cells.

Then we have added a little of ethanol and we have transferred all in a small beaker closed with the parafilm. With the pipette we have put a drop of this green solution on the filter paper supported on a tripod.

Adding drops of ethanol the green colour has been moved leaving the centre of the paper a brown spot and as we added ethanol we looked at two different coloured circles: that more external green and one more inside brown - yellow.

This operation makes us understand that the leaves are not composed only by chlorophyll but also by an other called substance xanthophyll.

What is the chlorophyll?

The chlorophyll is a "catalyst", it is a substance that must get the light, the water and the carbon dioxide to transform in sugar inside of the leaves.

Why the liquids move along the paper in the chromatography? The liquids move because in the paper must be empty spaces.