Turn science into art with our R54490 Chromatography Kit!

Amaze your students with gorgeous science/art projects! Use the power of diffusion and chromatography to create effortless pieces of art on die-cut flower shapes. Students will get to witness how the molecules of the salt-water solution push against the molecules of pigments of marker inks and carry them up the length of the paper flower petals.

Cover your space with a protective sheet or paint tray. Mix 2½ cups of warm water with 2 tsps of diffusion crystals. Stir the mixture until the crystals are fully dissolved. There may be a bit of sediment at the bottom. This will not affect the experiment, but you can add more water to fully dissolve it.

Color the centers of the three flower shapes with marker inks. Use marker colors that are mixtures of other colors rather than primary colors. Ask students to guess what types of pigments make up those particular colors. Pipette drops of the diffusion crystals and water onto the center of each flower. The water will move towards the outside edge and separate the pigments along the way.

When the flowers are dry, all the pigments used to create those marker colors will be visible. Heavy pigment molecules are deposited closer to the center of the flower, while light molecules travel further up the paper.

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