Chromatography: Observing Complex Combinations of Chemical Compounds

Overview

In this lesson, students learn that plant extracts are mixtures of many chemical compounds and it is possible to separate these compounds using chromatography. The health benefits of a medicinal plant may be due to one compound or to a combination of chemical compounds working together. In the lab portion, students will do chromatography of a black marker to understand how a single liquid (black ink) is comprised of many different chemicals. They will also do chromatography with plant material to see if multiple components can be separated.

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