Chromatography Butterflies at Camp Edvotek

Camp Edvotek is here with another summer science activity for all ages! For this activity, campers will create beautiful butterfly crafts! This activity is easy to do at home, can be completed in an hour and is a great way to introduce campers to the basics of chromatography.

Here’s what you need to make chromatography butterflies:

• White coffee filters.
• Pipe cleaners.
• Plastic cups.
• Colored markers.
• Yarn.

First, let’s get a little background on chromatography. Chromatography is a technique used to separate a mixture into its base components. This is done by dissolving a mixture into a liquid called the mobile phase which carries it across a fixed material called the stationary phase. Since different components in the mixture have different molecular properties, the individual components of the mixture will separate based on their difference in affinity towards the stationary phase.

How to Make a Butterfly:

1. Use your colored marker to draw a thick circle around the center of the coffee filter.
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2. Fold the coffee filter in half twice to make a cone shape.
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3. Fill the cup with a small amount of water and place the coffee filter so the tip of the cone is in the water. Open up the coffee filter so it  balances on the cup with the tip of the cone touching the water.
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4. Observe as water begins to flow up the coffee filter and the colors begin to separate.
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5. When color reaches the edge of the coffee filter, remove the filter from the water and set it on paper to let it dry.
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6. Once the coffee filter has dried, scrunch it up in the middle and wrap pipe cleaner around the center.
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7. Shape the ends of the pipe cleaner to form antennae and hang it up somewhere using string. You now have a flying chromatography butterfly!
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So how does this work? Most colored markers contain a mix of dyes and thus were separated into their individual components by passing them through a coffee filter. As the water moves up the coffee filter, heavier dye molecules travel slower than lighter dyes. This produces the cool gradient of colors seen on your butterfly wings!

It’s as simple as that! Chromatography butterflies provide a fun way to study the base components of colored makers. There are many ways to explore chromatography with markers using this activity. We encourage campers to further their knowledge and get creative by experimenting with these butterflies. Feel free to set up your own experiment to answer any question you have regarding color separation and chromatography. Keep the scientific method in mind when experimenting with chromatography butterflies! Our Summer Camp Activity Guide contains a lab report page to help campers design experiments and record observations.

Here are some ideas if you’d like to take your chromatography butterflies a step further: 

• Play around with wing patterns! Use different colors or multiple colors on the same filter. Draw different patterns rather than a circle.
• Compare different brands of black markers. Black markers are created using a mixture of dyes and different brands use different mixtures! 
• Experiment with different materials! Try using paper towels instead of a coffee filter and see if chromatography still works. What if you used a different liquid instead of water?

For campers and camp counselors interested in further investigating chromatography here are two Edvotek kits that have you covered:

If you try this experiment out please share your results with us! Tag us on social media, or you can contact us at curriculum@edvotek.com. Enjoy your butterflies and stay tuned for more Camp Edvotek activities!