Roxane Ohl - Oct 1, 2019

Featured Kit: Gel Filtration

Hey Biology and Chemistry teachers, Fall is the perfect time for exploring colorful plant pigments! 

Use chromatographic columns to separate plant pigments by molecular size and structure. Students pack their own Sephadex G-25 chromatographic columns. They observe the separation of anthocyanin, carotene, chlorophyll and xanthophyll from a pigment mixture. This separation is due to differences in size as well as the presence of aromatic and cyclic compounds. The greater the number of rings in the pigments, the greater the affinity of the pigments for the gel granules.

8-502_Gel Filtration Plant Pigments-1Kemtec Kit 8-502 Gel Filtration: Plant Pigments

Columns may be re-used. Allow 45 - 60 minutes lab time. Designed for 24 students working in groups of four. Required, but not included: colorful leaves (beet, spinach, or coleus leaves work well), balance, lab glassware and supplies.

Tip: Have your student groups run different types of leaves and make comparisons!

Explore more Kemtec science kits at www.kemtecscience.com.

Written by Roxane Ohl