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Extract chlorophyll from spinach leaves and observe its surprising red glow under ultraviolet (UV) light. Discover that chlorophyll can absorb and release light energy in different ways.
Materials
- Fresh spinach leaves
- Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)
- Scissors or mortar and pestle
- Coffee filter
- Clear glass
- UV light
- Spoon or stir stick
Instructions
- Tear or cut a few spinach leaves into small pieces.Place them in a small glass or cup.
- Pour in enough rubbing alcohol (70–99%) to fully cover the chopped leaves. Gently stir or press the leaves with a spoon every few minutes. Let it sit for about 15–20 minutes until the alcohol turns a deep green.
- Place a coffee filter or filter paper over another clean glass. Slowly pour the green mixture through it to remove the leaf pieces. You should collect a clear green chlorophyll extract.
- Take the filtered liquid into a dark room. Shine a UV light on it. The chlorophyll will glow red under the UV light!
What’s going on?
- Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that absorbs light for photosynthesis.
- When you extract it into alcohol, the chlorophyll molecules can still absorb light but can no longer use that energy to power photosynthesis.Under UV or blue light, the extra energy has nowhere to go, so the chlorophyll releases it again as red light.
Level
- Intermediate
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