This week we learned about mixtures and color theory using food dye. Mixtures can be combinations of any two or more things, and one easy way to understand this is by looking at primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and the secondary colors that are mixtures of those (orange, purple, and green). In this activity, we used water to dissolve the dye off the surface of an orange, purple, or green Skittle. By dipping a paper towel strip with a drop of dye into a solvent called isopropanol, we watched the dye separate into the primary colors in the mixture. This technique is called paper chromatography, and it makes for fun and colorful science!
Blog post written by Julia Marrs
Girls Science Club 