Candy Chromatography Lab

Pre-DP

Procedure:

You will work in pairs of 2, and collaborate with another two groups. There are three solvents, each
group will make a chromatograph for both regular skittles and sour skittles for their chosen solvent,
then share their results with the other groups.

Circle the solvent your group is using:

Alcohol Acetone Hexanes

1. Cut the filter paper into two equal squares.

2. For each square, lightly draw a pencil line ½ inch from the edge of one side of the paper.

3. For each filter square, make a pencil dot for each color to be used along the line about ¼ inch apart
and label each dot (see diagram below).

4. Dissolve the dye of the candy of each sour skittle color regular skittle by placing them in the small
holes and adding 6 drops of water with a pipet.

5. Dissolve the dye of the candy of each regular skittle color by doing the same thing.
6. Dip a toothpick into each colored mixture left behind in the foil and dab the color on the
corresponding pencil dot on the filter paper. Allow the filter paper to dry and add more color to each
dot. Repeat so that you have added color to the dot three times

7. For each filter, pour your solvent into a clean tall glass to a liquid level of 1/4 in. Then stand the filter
paper inside the glass with the sample side down and the edge of paper wetted by the developing
solution. Make sure that the liquid level is below the line of the samples.

8. Observe as the solvent progresses up the paper by capillary action. When the rubbing alcohol is ¼
inch from the top edge of the paper, remove the paper from the glass, mark the solvent line, and let dry.

9. Repeat for the other piece of filter paper

Data:

Draw your results below, marking the spots on each paper, and indicate the calculated Rf values.

Skittles in alcohol results:

Sour skittles in alcohol results:

Skittles in acetone results:

Sour skittles in acetone results:

Skittles in Hexanes results:

Sour skittles in Hexanes results:

Questions:

1. Which solvent gave the best separation for the regular skittles?

2. Which solvent gave the best separation for the sour skittles?

3. Is the dye for the purple skittle used the same in the sour skittles and the regular skittles?
Explain your answer using evidence.

4. Why did the dyes travel different distances in each solvent?

5. Which dyes looked to be mixtures and with dyes were only one component?

6. What was the stationary phase and what was the mobile phase?