CHEM 010.

02 Laboratory Manual

Post-lab Report
Ink and Candy Chromatography
Name: Czrille Jaine P. Canonigo ID No.: 221305
Year and Course: 1 AB Development Studies Section: CB-JK

A. Observations
Table 6.1. Sample codes for chromatography.
Candy samples Ink samples
color brand sample code color brand sample code
Nips A HBW G
Red Mentos B Black Flexstick H
Nips C HBW I
Orange Mentos D Blue Flexstick J
Nips E HBW K
Yellow Mentos F Red Flexstick L

Please make sure to note trend of increasing/decreasing polarity

(see postlab question #4) beside each chromatogram.

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B. Data and Results

Table 6.2. Summary of distance measurements and calculated RF values for the observed spots
on the chromatogram.

Candy Chromatography Ink Chromatography

Spot Details Spot Details

Sample
Code Spot RT Sample Spot RT
Color Distance (cm) Rf Code Color Distanc (cm) Rf
(cm) e
(cm)
Red 1 6.6 0.15 Purple 2.8 8 0.32
A G
Yellow 5.1 8 0.64

Red 0.4 6.7 0.059 Purple 2.2 7.9 0.28

B H
Yellow 4 7.9 0.51

Orange 0.1 6.6 0.015 Purple 3.9 8 0.49

C I Blue 7.1 8 0.89

Orange 0.4 6.7 0.059 Purple 3.5 7.9 0.44

D J Blue 6.4 7.9 0.81

Yellow 0.1 6.6 0.015 Orange 1.1 8 0.13

E K Pink 3.9 8 0.49

Yellow 0 6.7 0 Orange 6.6 7.9 0.84

F L Pink 4.2 7.9 0.53

NOTE: Each spot on the chromatogram must be listed on a separate row.

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C. Postlab Questions
1. What are dyes made of?
For the candies, originally, coal tar, which is made from coal, was used to make
artificial food colorings. The majority of synthetic food colors used today come from
crude oil or petroleum. In contrast, ink (more specifically gel pen ink) is made
mostly of water-based gel and powdered colors. The gel, a colloid frequently
contains widely used biopolymers like xanthan gum.

Eating with your eyes: The Chemistry of Food Colorings. American Chemical Society. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2022,
from https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2015-
2016/october-2015/food-colorings.html

What are gel pens and how do they work? Goldspot Pens. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2022, from
https://goldspot.com/pages/what-are-gel-pens-and-how-do-they-work

2. Which samples (sample code) had only one spot after running the chromatography?
Which samples had multiple spots? What does this tell you about the composition of
the dye/pigments used?
The samples A, B, C, D, E, and F or the Candy pigments only had a single spot. On the
other hand, the Ink pigments, G, H, I, J, K, and L had multiple spots. This tells us that
the ink pigments are composed of many other components, making it go up the
paper at varying rates as the solvent steadily ascends, and then separating the mixes
into various colored spots.

3. For each sample that had multiple spots after running the chromatography, which
color traveled the farthest? What does this suggest about the polarity of the
dye/pigment?
At 7.1 cm, blue from Sample I traveled the furthest. The fact that the blue
pigment went far indicates that it has a relatively high polarity since the solvent used
for this sample, Alcohol, is polar.

4. Given the properties of your solvent and the filter paper, are the extracted pigments
relatively polar or nonpolar? Explain. (Note down beside your chromatogram the
order of increasing polarity of each separated pigment.)
Given the characteristics of the solvent and filter paper, as well as the distance the
pigments traveled and its components, the candy, which moved little to nothing, also
considering one of its components crude or petroleum oil, it can be said that the
substance is rather nonpolar. As for the ink pigment, seeing as how it traveled a
great distance as well as considering its composition, it is relatively polar.

5. What complications may have arisen if you had used a ball pen instead of a pencil in
labeling the filter paper? Explain.
If a ball pen was used instead of a pencil in labeling the filter paper, it would have
run up the paper just like the actual samples for the chromatography. If this has
happened, then the data for the chromatography would be inaccurate.

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 HBW

FLEXSTICK MENTOS
I NIPS
OS
12
J
G 10 L 11
9
6 8
K 6 H
5 7
4
3

A
2 C D
E B
F

3 2 1
3 1 2 2 1 3 2 1 3

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