Colors In a Plant/ Leaf Chromatography Experiment, Scientific Method

Try this GREAT activity in the Autumn!
(2 different levels of this activity are included)

Students mash green leaves and soak them in rubbing alcohol. They place a coffe filter in the mixture and watch as the colors separate!

I like to do this with several different types of trees inteh autumn (you have to collect some green and some colored leaves from the same trees) and then have students compare the colors found in the leaves to the colors those trees turn in the fall!


For example, the Sugar Maple tree turns yellow in the autumn. Students should see yellow on their coffee filter strip!

This product is part of a bundle! Science for all holidays!
HOLIDAY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS BUNDLE: Inquiry for all seasons!

Check out these other lessons on plants!
Visualizing Plant Photosynthesis: Drawing, Cut & Paste, Process Explained lesson
Demonstrating Photosynthesis w/ Bromothymol Blue Experiment - Scientific Method
Plant Parts and Jobs Cut and Paste- 3 lesson activities, centers or stations