Chromatography of Plant Pigments

CHROMATOGRAPHY OF PLANT PIGMENTS Marquez, Ma. Rica Paulene, Moises, Patrisha Kate, Policarpio, Jairus Paolo, Rolda, Zylene Joy segment of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Baguio April 23, 2013 ABSTRACT The objective of this experiment was to apply the technique of topic chromatography as a method for separating individual sic pigments geted in plant weave extracts containing pigment blends. The process of chromatography separates molecules because of the unlike solubilities of the molecules in a selected solving.In authorship chromatography, paper marked with an unkn shit got, such as plant extract, is channelized in a beaker covered with a transpargonntness containing a specified solvents. The solvent carried the change state pigments as it moved up the paper. The pigments were carried at different rates because they were not equally soluble. The most soluble pigment travelled the longest outstrip while the former(a)s traveled in a shorter lengt h. The distance of the pigment traveled was unique for that pigment in set conditions and was used to identify the pigment.The proportion was then used to measure the Rf (retention factor) value. INTRODUCTION As ancient producers in the food chain with some bacteria and algae, plants produce their own food by using the suns energy to vary carbon dioxide and water into glucose. In this process of photosynthesis, plants convert the suns energy into chemical energy that is stored in the bonds of the glucose molecule. Glucose is a simple loot that provides immediate fuel to cells but it is as well a building barricado for more(prenominal) complex carbohydrates stored by living organisms for future use.For photosynthesis to transform sapless energy from the sun into chemical energy (bond energy) in plants, the pigment molecules see light to power the chemical reactions. Plant pigments atomic number 18 macromolecules produced by the plant, and these pigments describe specified wavelengths of visible light to provide the energy required for photosynthesis. chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis, but accessory pigments collect and transfer energy to chlorophyll. Although pigments suck light, the wavelengths of light that be not absorbed by the plant pigments are reflected back to the eye.The reflected wavelengths are the colors we see in observing the plant. Plants contain different pigments, and some of the pigments observed include ? chlorophylls (greens) ? carotenoids (yellow, orange red) ? anthocyanins (red to blue, depending on pH) ? betalains (red or yellow) (Plant Traveling Lab. TTU/HHMI at CISER. 2010) As you may know from the popular media, in that respect is currently a substantial research effort in place to explore the potential health benefits of plant pigments to humans. In popular literature, these plant-based compounds are often collectively referred to as phytochemicals most are excessively pigments.Flavonoids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids are just some of the categories of plant pigments known to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidant is a everyday term used to describe any substance that has the ability to oppose free radicals which cause cellular damage by removing electrons from surrounding molecules. many another(prenominal) lines of research suggest that consuming a diet rich in plant pigments may slow the process of cellular aging and overturn the risks of some types of disease, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke.The point of this experiment is to flavor at the signboard of some of the common pigments in plant leaves and how that polarity affects their interactions with the cellulose fibers in paper and a few solvents and to apply the technique of paper chromatography as a method for separating individual plant pigments contained in plant tissue extracts containing pigment blends. (https//www. msu. edu) RESULT Table 1 shows the Rf set of Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatic), Bloodleaf (Iresine herbstii), and Golden bush-league (Duranta repens) plant Rf value 50% acetone50% pet. ther 40% acetone, 10% isopropanol, 50% pet. ether 40% acetone, 10% pet. ether, 50% isopropanol 30% acetone70% pet. ether 30% pet. ether 70% acetone Kangkong icteric 0. 5Brown 0. 01 discolour 0. 33Brown 0. 23 Yellow 0. 79Brown 0. 08 Yellow 0. 04Brown 0. 96 Yellow 0. 31Brown 0. 76 Bloodleaf ( colour leaf) regal0. 05 jet-propelled plane0. 11Yellow0. 11 Purple0. 06Green0. 13 Purple0. 13Green0. 58 Purple0. 03Green0. 58Yellow0. 38 Purple0. 097Green0. 86 Golden bush Green0. 5Brown0. 5 Green0. 47Brown0. 09 Green0. 6Brown0. 067 Green0. 3Brown0. 96 Green0. 094Brown0. 96 reciprocation The extracts of kangkong, golden bush, and purple leaves were applied to a horizontal line most ? of an inch from the bottom of a filter paper using a capillary tube. The filter paper then was soaked one by one on a beaker with a mixture of 40% acetone, 10% petroleum ether and 50% isopropanol. These solvents are used be cause they are undefendable of separating mixtures that contain both polar and non-polar compounds, or to increase interval of mixtures of compounds that have similar behavior with a single solvent.The beaker was covered with aluminum foil to make sure that the atmosphere in the beaker is saturated with the solvents vapor. Saturating the atmosphere in the beaker with the solvents vapor stops the solvent from evaporating as it rises up the filter paper. As the solvent slowly travels up the paper, the different components of the extract travel at different rates and the extracts are separated into different colors. After 3-5 minutes, the distance traveled by to apiece one pigment and solvent were measured. Plants extracted Color/ Pigment Rf values Kangkong Yellow (solvent) 0. 9 mm Brown (solute) 0. 08 mm Purple leaves Green (solvent) 0. 58 mm Purple (solute) 0. 13 mm Golden bush Green (solvent) 0. 6 mm Brown (solute) 0. 067 mm Table 1 Pigments and Rf values for each plant extra ct The distance traveled coition to the solvent is called the Rf value, or the Retardation value. It can be computed with the design Rf = distance travelled by the solute Distance travelled by solvent We had the following computations A. For Kangkong Rf= 0. 08 mm 0. 79 mm = 0. 1012 B. For purple leaves Rf= 0. 13 mm 0. 58 mm = 0. 241 C. For Golden bush Rf= 0. 067 mm 0. 6 mm = 0. 1117 These values imply that the large Rf value a compound has, the larger the distance it travels. It also means that it is less polar because it interacts less strongly with the polar assimilatory on the filter paper. So similarly, the smaller the Rf value a compound has, the shorter the distance it travelled. It also means that is is more polar because it interacts more strongly with the polar absorbent on the filter paper. Comparing to the other groups results, there were similar colors that sprung up.The distances travelled by the pigments were significantly different than ours because they used dif ferent percentages of solvents. CONCLUSION Paper chromatography proved to be an exact method of separating and observing the various colors of plant pigments. The pigments dissolved in the solvent and migrated upward. The colors were observed and their migration distances measured & recorded. TheRfvalueof each pigment was determined by dividing its migration by the migration of the solvent. We have always dumb chlorophyll, a pigment that is very important in photosynthesis, to be green.However, with this experiment we have discovered that many other pigments are also present in the leaves. For example the kangkong leaf also contains different pigments take down though the leaf is dominated by the color green. We have observed that the kangkong leaf not only carries a green pigment, but that it also carries yellow and brown pigment through the chromatography LITERATURE CITED * Mcmurry, John. 2010. Foundations of Organic Chemistry. Pasig City, Philippines Cengage cultivation Asia Pte Ltd. * Thompson, R. 2008. Illustrated guide to Home Chemistry experiments. Canada O Reilly media.Page 109 * Clark, J. 2007. http//chemguide. co. uk/analysis/chromatography/paper. html. Retrieved April 22, 2013 * Unknown. PlantTravelingLab. TTU/HHMI at CISER. 2010 . http//www. ciser. ttu. edu. * 2010. 04-20-13. * Unknown. separation of pigments by paper chromatography. http//www. hsu. edu/pictures. aspx? id=1653, n/a. 04-20-13 * Unknown. plant pigment analysis. https//www. msu. edu. n/a. 04-20-13 * http//apnewtechbiology. wordpress. com/lab-6-plant-pigments/ * http//www. biologyjunction. com/chromatography_of_simulated_plan. htm ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS