1. Cut a circle out of the coffee filter (about as big as your hand)
2. Draw a line across the circle with the marker, about an inch from the bottom
3. Pour H2O into the coffee cup, just enough to cover the bottom. Then curl up the filter so it fits into the cup and touches the bottom
4. Watch the H2O move up the filter. When it reaches the black line, different colors will begin to appear.
5. Leave the filter in H2O until the colors reach the top edge. How many different colors do you see?
What's Happening?
This is a process called chromatography. Non-permanent markers are made up of many different pigments. As the line is exposed to H2O, the pigments are dissolved and travel up the filter with the H2O. Different pigments travel at different rates and different distances. Since the pigments travel differently, the black ink separates to reveal the colors that make it up!
