Chromatography Experiment

By: Mr. William Robert Silva

In this activity, students were expected to accomplish two learning objectives:

  • Describe how chromatography works and what happens during this process to black or colored ink.
  • Explain why being able to separate solutions into their components is important to environmental engineering and water quality.

Students wrote down predictions for what they think will happen during the activity. They identified the components of a solution (that is, solute[s] and solvent). Students were reminded that we are interested in whether a reaction occurs during the experiment. They were able to review the indicators of reaction (changes in odor, temperature, or color, production of gas, or precipitation.) All groups then presented their findings.