Aim :
To separate colours from a mixture of colours (ink). What you need?: stick of white chalk, ink, plate, water
What to do?:
1. Take a whole stick of white chalk.
2. Around the curved surface of the chalk put an ink mark with blue or black ink.
3. Now pour some water in a plate and keep the piece of chalk in the water.
4. Ensure that the water in the plate is very little and does not touch the ink mark.
5. Observe the colour patterns that form on the piece of chalk after some time.
6. Remove the chalk before the water reaches its top.
What do you see?:
Different colours are formed around the chalk from the bottom to top.
What do you learn?:
The ink appears to be made of a single colour but it is actually a mixture of many colours hidden in it. Those colours are separated by this method. It is an example of chromatography.
