Leaf Chromatography (Chlorophyll is the main pigment used for photosynthesis)
Channel: Kids Fun Science
Date: 2021-10-01

Leaf Chromatography (Chlorophyll is the main pigment used for photosynthesis)
Made for parents and teachers

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Chapters
0:00 Intro to Kids Fun Science
0:09 What you need
0:29 Gather leaves (My leaves)
0:42 see description for Science Behind it
0:52 Set up
2:11 The final results of experiment

Steps
1) Gather leaves 
2) Tear/cut leaves into small pieces
3) Place leaves in a beaker or glass, 
4) Then add just enough rubbing alcohol to cover them. 
4a) Optional - Cover the beaker with plastic wrap to keep the alcohol from evaporating.
5) Put the beaker/glass in a bowl of hot tap water for about 30 minutes
6) Cut a strip of coffee filter about a half inch wide. I just placed my into the beaker/glass or you can tape it to a pencil. Suspend the pencil across the beaker and let the strip just barely touch the alcohol and pigment mixture.

Science behind it
Photosynthesis is the process in which plants convert light energy from the sun to chemical food energy.  To absorb the light, leaves use brightly colored pigments with chlorophyll being the most important one. 

Leaf chromatography is an experiment that allows us to see the colorful pigments that leaves have hidden inside them. The green leaf color is the chlorophyll, which helps plants absorb the yellow and blue wavelengths of light. Chlorophyll is the main pigment used for photosynthesis, or harvesting energy from sunlight! Those leaves have so much chlorophyll in them that it hides the other pigments from view. Some of these other pigments are carotenoids (yellow, orange, red, or brown in color; absorb blue light) and anthocyanin (pink-red colored; absorb blue-green light) – these two pigments help plants absorb additional wavelengths of light and help plants deal with some of the stress that sunlight can cause. In the fall, chlorophyll begins to break down, and the other pigments, which have been there all along, are finally revealed.  Yellow leaves have pigments called xanthophyll, orange leaves have a pigment called carotenoids. Anthocyanin give leaves their intense red and purple pigments.

How did the pigments separate? That coffee filter that you dipped into the leafy-liquid started to absorb that liquid. The liquid travelled up the coffee filter in a process called capillary action – the liquid filled tiny holes in the paper towel and gradually climbed up the coffee filter. While the liquid was climbing the coffee filter, it took plant pigments with it! The plant pigments are different sizes and shapes so they were carried different distances up the paper towel by the liquid.

These pigments, however, aren’t present in the leaves during the summer and are only made toward the end of summer. I'm located in Northern California.