All black markers are not the same. The Science Behind the Spell Most black magic markers are made up of colored pigments, or dyes, and water. The water in the ink carries the pigments up the coffee filter. As the water dries, the pigments remain on the paper. The pigments dissolve when the filter is dipped in water.
Some pigments move up the paper faster than others.
They travel at different rates depending on how large the pigment molecule is and how much the pigment is attracted to the paper. Since the pigments travel at different rates, this is a way to tell which colors were used to make it. Russian botanist Mikhail Tsvet developed the technique in 1910 for separating the pigments that made up plant dyes. It can be used to determine the ingredients in perfumes, to analyze pollutants, to separate animal proteins in blood samples, and to find drug traces in urine samples. Ink gets its color by absorbing some of the colors in white light and reflecting others.