SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY REPORT

CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (LABORATORY)

Name:  Suhian, Clairmejoy P.

Lab Partner(s): Cortes, Peaches B., Flores, John Aldo M., Gemola, Paul Jacob ., and
Jaranilla Kyla H.
Title: Find the Hidden Colors of Leaves
Date:  October, 13, 2022

Purpose:
This study pertains to uncover the hidden colors of leaves by separating plant
pigments with a process called paper chromatography.

Hypothesis (if applicable):

If we use Isopropyl Alcohol as a solvent then it will allow us to separate the
different pigments inside of the leaves.
Experimental Procedure:
1. Sort your leaves into discrete groups, with about 20 large leaves per group, then
arrange them by color. It could be simplest to separate them into green, yellow, and red
heaps.
2. Using scissors, snip the leaves into little pieces.
3. 10 grams of leaves should be added to a drinking glass or Mason jar for each leaf
color.
4. Each glass should include four tablespoons of isopropyl alcohol (70% or more).
5. Use a wooden spoon's blunt end to mash the leaves into the alcohol for about five
minutes.
6. Allow the solutions to rest for 30 minutes indoors, in a dark area.
7. Put the crushed leaf solution in a plastic bag that can be sealed. Separately carry out
this for every leaf color. Then seal each bag, leaving one end unzipped. Gather the
colored liquid from the leaf squeezing and place it in a little, heat-resistant container.
8. A pot should be filled with water and heated on the stove. After turning off the stove,
add your leaf extracts to the heated water in the three heat-resistant containers. 20 to
30 minutes, or until the isopropyl alcohol has mostly evaporated, should pass as they
soak in the hot water. Your extracts should thicken when mixed with a fork as the
alcohol evaporates. until the solution turns black, minutes.
9. A pot should be filled with water and heated on the stove. After turning off the stove,
add your leaf extracts to the heated water in the three heat-resistant containers. 20 to
30 minutes, or until the isopropyl alcohol has mostly evaporated, should pass as they
soak in the hot water. Your extracts should thicken when mixed with a fork as the
alcohol evaporates.
10. Although the extracts will become more concentrated the longer the alcohol is
allowed to evaporate off, concentration of the extracts shouldn't take longer than 30
minutes.
11. To combine the colors and remove any dried-up pigment flecks from the bowl's side,
thoroughly stir each color. In order to prevent color mixing, make sure to use a clean
fork for each color.
12. A pot should be filled with water and heated on the stove. After turning off the stove,
add your leaf extracts to the heated water in the three heat-resistant containers. 20 to
30 minutes, or until the isopropyl alcohol has mostly evaporated, should pass as they
soak in the hot water. Your extracts should thicken when mixed with a fork as the
alcohol evaporates.
13. Although the extracts will become more concentrated the longer the alcohol is
allowed to evaporate off, concentration of the extracts shouldn't take longer than 30
minutes.
14. To combine the colors and remove any dried-up pigment flecks from the bowl's side,
thoroughly stir each color. In order to prevent color mixing, make sure to use a clean
fork for each color.
15. Let the strips dry naturally. Apply a second coat of your sample on the paper strips
after that. To obtain enough of your sample onto the paper, you should ideally repeat
this procedure at least 5–10 times. Try to always apply the sample to the same area.
16. Pour just enough isopropyl alcohol (70 percent or more) into each tall glass to cover
the bottom while the strips are drying. One glass should be ready for each color
solution.
17. Let the strips dry naturally. Apply a second coat of your sample on the paper strips
after that. To obtain enough of your sample onto the paper, you should ideally repeat
this procedure at least 5–10 times. Try to always apply the sample to the same area.
Your results will be better if your sample is more tightly packed onto the paper strip.
18. Pour just enough isopropyl alcohol (70 percent or more) into each tall glass to cover
the bottom while the strips are drying. One glass should be ready for each color
solution.
19. Let the strips dry naturally. Apply a second coat of your sample on the paper strips
after that. To obtain enough of your sample onto the paper, you should ideally repeat
this procedure at least 5–10 times. Try to always apply the sample to the same area.
Your results will be better if your sample is more tightly packed onto the paper strip.
20. Pour just enough isopropyl alcohol (70 percent or more) into each tall glass to cover
the bottom while the strips are drying. One glass should be ready for each color
solution.
21. Keep an eye on the paper strip as the solvent (isopropyl alcohol) rises. As soon as
the solvent is almost at the top of the strip, leave the strips in it. This process can take
anything from 30 minutes to many hours, depending on the type of paper you're writing.
22. Remove all strips and allow them to dry as soon as the solvent is nearly at the top of
a strip.
23. Keep an eye on the paper strip as the solvent (isopropyl alcohol) rises. As soon as
the solvent is almost at the top of the strip, leave the strips in it. This process can take
anything from 30 minutes to many hours, depending on the type of paper you're writing.
Laboratory Safety
Avoid direct contact with any chemical. Never smell, inhale or taste laboratory
chemicals. Always wash hands and arms with soap and water after removing gloves
and before leaving the work area. Never eat, drink, chew gum or tobacco, smoke or
apply cosmetics in the laboratory.
Experimental Data:
Figure 1: Filter paper with a wet mount of the solution.

Figure 2: Air dried filter paper with solution.

Observations: 
As we notice, since the particles of leaves on the bottom of the filter paper are
rising during the chromatographic experiment, the appearance of the filter paper
changes to have a growing color pigment on it. This is because when the filter paper is
immersed in the solvent with a particle on the bottom, the particles will rise to the top
and separate into a variety of colors. All of the various colors will appear as a result of
the particles' varying properties, some of which are heavier than others and others are
lighter. We used 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol as a solvent because the mixture will
be made up of leaves. Paper chromatography is the best method for identifying the
unknown type of colored pigment. Colored pigment mixtures are separated using paper
chromatography. Because of this, if we use this method, we will know which colors are
mixed in the solution. Since the beginning of the experiment, we have noticed that the
leaves' pigments vary in hue depending on the color of the leaves. We are able to
distinguish the substances (pigments) that are combined in one colored pigment using
filter paper. The fact that the various pigment components have been separated
demonstrates that chromatography is the most effective method for separating mixtures.

Results/Discussion: 

Before
Drying

After
Drying
 The four (4) distinct colors of mango leaves before and after drying for
approximately 30 minutes are depicted in the aforementioned table. The brown leaf is
the darkest when placed in filter paper prior to drying, while the maroon leaf is the
lightest. These pigments have improved after 30 minutes of drying; the brown leaf had
the most vibrant pigment, while the maroon leaf had the lightest pigment.
This is because when a tiny particle on the bottom of the filter paper is soaked in a
solvent, it rises to the top and splits into multiple colors. The various characteristics of
the various particles, such as some being heavier or lighter than others, will result in the
appearance of all the various colors.

Conclusion: 

Paper chromatography divides the colors into their corresponding mixtures taking
all of these factors into account. Chromatography’s objective is to separate a mixture's
various components. Applications range from precise breakdown of a mixture's
constituent parts to straightforward purity verification of a particular substance.
Chromatography can therefore be used to separate colors from one another. As the
solvent coats the paper, it transports the mixtures. The various components of the
mixture will travel at different rates. As a result, the mixture separates. In order to
separate the colorants from the samples, they make use of isopropyl alcohol, which
makes up 70% of the solvent. Even if the various components of a solution are not
immediately apparent in the finished product, students learn firsthand how they can be
separated. This paper chromatography experiment has definitively demonstrated the
value of paper chromatography in assisting in the identification of distinctive hues and in
the analysis of any other relevant mixes with characteristics of separation by paper.

Documentation