In this experiment, students use paper chromatography to investigate the food dyes used in candies like Skittles® and M&Ms®. By dissolving the candy coating in water and placing a drop of the resulting dye onto a strip of paper, students can observe how the different pigments travel up the paper when placed in a salt water solution. The solvent moves through the paper via capillary action, separating the pigments based on their polarity and chemical properties. This reveals whether each candy color is made up of a single dye or a mixture of pigments, helping students compare color compositions across different types of candies.
Learning Objectives
Different materials have different properties
Attraction to water is a material property
Dyes can be made of one or more colored materials
Similar colors can be created with different colored materials
Run paper chromatography with colored candies and make observations about the results
Standards Alignment + Connections
5-PS1-3: Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
5.5A:Classify matter based on measurable, testable, and observable physical properties, including mass, magnetism, physical state (solid, liquid, and gas), relative density (sinking and floating using water as a reference point), solubility in water, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal energy or electric energy
In this design challenge, students will work together to design a tool or process that successfully removes an invasive species from an ecosystem while minimizing harm to the native species and environment.
In this challenge, students will practice problem-solving and collaboration skills as they design, build, and test their wind turbine
prototypes. Students will explore the role of renewable energy in powering communities, learn about energy transfer and mechanical systems, and gain insight into the importance of sustainable energy solutions.
In this activity, students will read the story "In a Garden" by Tim McCanna. They will learn about the life cycle of a plant, what seeds need to grow, and what keeps seeds from growing. They will then create their own seed house and watch their seeds sprout!