Candy Chromatography Experiment

Candy chromatography experiment

This is a Candy Chromatography Experiment done by me. Have you ever wondered what colour are the dyes of M&M? Many candies contain colored dyes. Bags of M&Ms or Skittles contain candies of various colors. The labels tell us the names of the dyes used in the candies. But which dyes are used in which candies? We can answer this by dissolving the dyes out of the candies and separating them using a method called chromatography. Below is the video of the experiment i did.

Chromatography is a technique used to separate the various components in a complex mixture or solution. It works because the components of the mixture will differ in how much they "stick" to things: to each other, and to other substances. For example, some of the components of the ink will stick more tightly to the paper fibers. They will spend less time in the water as it moves along the paper fibers, and thus they will not travel very far. Other components of the ink will stick less tightly to the paper fibers. They will spend more time in the water as it moves along the paper fibers, and thus they will travel farther through the paper.
Other materials than paper and water can be used for chromatography, but in each chromatography apparatus there is generally a stationary phase and a mobile phase. In paper chromatography, the paper is the stationary phase, and water is the mobile phase. Another example of a chromatography systems is a glass column filled with tiny, inert beads (the stationary phase). The mixture to be separated is added to the column, and is then "washed out" with some type of solution (the mobile phase). In this case, the separation is based on molecular size. Smaller molecules will pass through the spaces between the beads more easily, so they will come out of the column more quickly. Larger molecules will take more time to pass between the beads, so they will come out of the column later. You can separate the smaller molecules from the larger molecules by collecting the liquid that comes off such a column in a series of separate containers.

Materials:
-Candies of Different Colors M&M or Skittles work Well - Filter Paper - Tall Clear Glass or Jar - Water - Salt - Pencil (no pens or markers) - Scissors - Ruler - Toothpicks - Empty 2 liter Bottle and Cap

7) Let the colored dots on your filter paper dry.
8) Repeat step 6 to get more color dye on each of your filter paper dots. You will need to do steps 6 and 7 a total of three times. Be patient!
9) Once you have completed step 8, fold the filter paper in 1/2 so it will stand up on it's own. The dots need to be on the bottom portion. 10) Lets make a developing solution next. Measure and put ⅛ teaspoon of salt and 3 cups of water into the empty (and clean) 2 liter bottle. Screw on the lid. Shake until the salt is dissolved in the water making a solution. This is called a  1% salt solution.
11) Pour 1/4 inch of the salt solution into a tall glass. The level of the solution needs to be low enough so that when you put the filter paper inside the dots will initially be above the solution level. Hold the filter paper with the dots at the bottom and set it in the glass with the salt solution.
12) The salt solution will start to climb up the paper using a process called capillary action.

13) The solution climbs up the filter paper and moves through the colored dots. The colored dots begin to separate into different color bands. Notice that some candy colors were made from mixing several different dyes. These colors separate into different bands as they move up the filter paper. Dyes separate due to some dyes sticking more to the filter paper and others being more soluble in the solution. As a result the dyes climb will stop at different heights on the filter paper.
14) Once the solution gets about ½ inch from the top edge of the filter paper, remove it. Lay the paper out to dry.
15) Compare the spots from the different candies, noting similarities and differences. Record your results. Which candies contained mixtures of dyes? Which ones seem to have just one dye? Do similar colors from different candies travel up the paper the same distance?
16) Repeat the experiment with a different kind of candy. If you did the M&M's first, then try the skittles.

Chromatography is the collective term for a family of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures. It involves passing a mixture dissolved in a "mobile phase" through a stationary phase, which separates the substance to be measured from other molecules in the mixture and allows it to be isolated and viewed.

Reflection

I had a lot of fun doing the experiment as I got to get a feel of the dyes inside the different candies. However, the results in the end were not very clear, maybe because of the filter paper I used. I used kitchen paper instead of chromatography paper. This experiment was very fun and I enjoyed doing it as it had a lot of significance to our syllabus. I got to hands on with dipping the dyes inside the salt water, looking at how the dyes followed the water up. It gave me an insight as to what dyes were present in the candies.

I love doing experiments, especially fiddling with different chemicals as they are every interesting, teaches me more about the relevant subject, such as the dyes present in the candies, and so to say, my goals was achieved. This experiment was a success!