I've been wanting to try DIY chromatography experiments but I don't have any special lab equipment. I heard you can use coffee filters and water to separate ink colors. Has anyone tried simple science experiments with household chemicals like this? What markers work best for homemade science projects involving chromatography?
Yes, DIY chromatography experiments work great with coffee filters! The key is using water soluble markers. Cut the coffee filter into strips, make a dot about an inch from the bottom with different colored markers, then hang the strip so the bottom just touches water in a cup. The water travels up and separates the ink colors. Black markers usually show the most colors.
We've done chromatography with leaves in the fall too. Crush different colored leaves with rubbing alcohol, then use coffee filter strips to separate the pigments. It's a great way to show that leaves have multiple colors even when they look just green or red. These science experiments with household chemicals really connect chemistry to nature.
For educational home chemistry, we document our chromatography results in a science journal. The kids draw what they see and try to predict which markers will separate into the most colors. It turns simple homemade science projects into proper experiments with hypotheses and observations. Kitchen pantry science projects become much more educational this way.
I tried with different liquids besides water. Rubbing alcohol works even better for some markers because it's less polar. You can compare results with water vs alcohol to teach about solvent polarity. These chemistry experiments without special equipment can actually get pretty sophisticated if you want them to.