ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — In this episode of Science with Shields, Christy Shields shows you how to make candy chromatography.
What you need:
- Brown M&M’s
- Coffee filter
- Plate
- Water
- Bowl
Instructions:
Put a coffee filter onto a plate. Now, pour water into a separate bowl and dip a piece of brown coated candy into the water for around five seconds. Next, put the candy in the middle of the coffee filter. Leave it sit for 10 to 15 minutes and observe what happens during that time.
Science:
You will see different colors showing up on your coffee filter, that is because it takes different colored dyes to create the brown color for the M&M’s. These dyes separate because some are more attracted to the paper and others more with the water. When we separate molecules on paper like this, it is called chromatography! Chromatography can help scientist create new vaccines, test food, and they also use it for forensics!
Check out more Science with Shields episodes on WTAJ Plus.
