Coffee Filter Science Projects
You can use coffee filters for some science projects, but they're not perfect for more advanced and sensitive projects. Unlike proper lab grade filter papers, coffee filters can contain substances that will affect the results of some tests; also, the grade of coffee filter paper (the size of the tiny holes in the paper) is variable. For many basic projects, however, coffee filters are ideal: inexpensive, familiar and readily available.
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Ink Chromatography
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Chromatography means "color drawing" in Greek. It is the technique of analyzing substances by means of color. You can use a clean coffee filter for a simple chromatography experiment. Take a water-soluble black felt-tipped marker (it must be water soluble and not permanent, or the experiment won't work), and raw a large dot in the center of the filter. Place the filter in a saucer with a little water. The filter will soak up the water. As it travels along the fibers, the water will carry some of the ink. The different colors making up the black ink travel at different rates, making circles of color on the filter paper.
Leaf Chromatography
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You can use chromatography to explore the chemicals in different kinds of leaves. You'll need leaves from a few different types of plant, and a clean jar for each leaf. Chop the leaves up very finely, and place each leaf in a separate jar. Add isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to each jar, along with a strip cut from a filter. The chlorophyll and other color chemicals in the leaf will dissolve in the alcohol and be drawn up the paper at different rates.
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Separating Sand and Salt
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Separating a mixture of sand and table salt is a simple project which lets you and your students explore soluble and non-soluble materials, solutions and filtration. Mix up equal parts of sand and salt, then have the students add spoonfuls of the mixture to beakers of warm water. Stir mixture until the the salt dissolves. Set coffee filters in funnels, and place the funnels in clean beakers. Pour the mixture of salty water and sand into the filters. The water and dissolved salt pass through the filters leaving the sand behind. You can then evaporate the water to get the salt back.
Homemade Litmus Papers
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You can make litmus papers from coffee filters and red cabbage juice. You use litmus papers to test the pH of substances; something with a low pH is an acid (for example, lemon juice) whereas something with a higher pH is an alkali or base (baking soda, most soaps). Chop the cabbage and place in a blender. Cover with water and blend. Strain off the red liquid, and soak clean coffee filters in it. Dry the filters and cut them into strips. Acids will turn the paper red; bases will turn it blue or greenish.
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