Advertisement
Grab your lab coat. Let's get started
Welcome!
Welcome!
Create an account below to get 6 C&EN articles per month, receive newsletters and more - all free.
It seems this is your first time logging in online. Please enter the following information to continue.
As an ACS member you automatically get access to this site. All we need is few more details to create your reading experience.
Not you? Sign in with a different account.
Not you? Sign in with a different account.
ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
Separations
Chemistry In Pictures
Chemistry in Pictures: What's in your ink
by Manny Morone
September 18, 2019
Credit: Claire Hartmann-Thompson
Claire Hartmann-Thompson is a chemist at 3M, but outside the lab, she and other 3M scientists lead demos for students in grades 1 through 6, showcasing chemistry. In this demo, Hartmann-Thompson introduced chromatography to her son’s elementary school class using a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plate. The large spots on the plate were made by different pens in the classroom. As a liquid solvent at the bottom of this jar soaks through the TLC plate, it carries some of the pens’ inks with it, making the inks streak and travel upward. What they were seeing was the separation of some of the inks’ component chemicals, which demonstrated—to the class’s surprise—that ink is complex mixture of several substances even though on paper it looks like a pure liquid.
Submitted by Claire Hartmann-Thompson. This photo is part of our Chromatography Contest sponsored by Restek. Enter the photo contest here, or submit your chromatography photo via Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #SeparationScene.
Do science. Take pictures. Win money. You can also enter our regular monthly photo contest here.
Related C&EN Content:
Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society
You might also like...
The power is now in your (nitrile gloved) hands
Sign up for a free account to get more articles. Or choose the ACS option that’s right for you.
Already have an ACS ID? Log in
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on Twitter