Procedure
1. Obtain a piece of chromatography paper and, using a pencil, lightly draw a baseline
1 cm from the bottom of the page. (Touch the paper as little as possible, because
skin oils interfere with chromatogram development.)
2. Place a spinach leaf over the chromatography paper and roll the edge of a coin
over the leaf (using a ruler as a guide) so that the pigments of the leaf are driven
into the chromatography paper 1 cm from the bottom.
3. Apply the pigment streak at least five times, allowing the paper to dry between
each application, keeping the streak as narrow as possible (on the line).
4. Place chromatography solvent in a beaker so that the level of the liquid is below
the line that you made on the paper (does not touch the pigment). (Caution: Avoid inhaling the solvent.)
5. Place the chromatography paper in the beaker so that the pigment streak end is
barely immersed in the solvent.
6. Cover the beaker with plastic wrap and do not disturb for several minutes.
7. When the solvent is about 0.5 cm from the top margin of the paper, remove the
paper and immediately mark the location of the solvent front before it evaporates.