Candy Color Chromatography
With the Candy Chromatography Science Kit, students can unlock the colors that make up the coatings on favorite candies. This is a fun STEM experiment that yields visible results.
The Candy Chromatography Science Kit can be used for several student science projects, but using the kit to break down candy coatings and investigate the dye composition of different candies is a great project for Halloween week (or while the Trick or Treat bag still contains candies like Skittles or M&Ms).
For full directions, see the Candy Chromatography: What Makes Those Colors? project.
The sample photos above focus on an orange candy. The results of this experiment will vary depending on the type of candy and the color tested. Are all orange candy coatings made the same? Grab an assortment of orange-shelled candies and find out! Which color candies do you expect to see the most variety of dyes used? Why?
The Candy Chromatography Science Kit can also be used to explore the pigmentation in leaves and flowers or the ink in markers. (See projects and activities listed below.)
Making Connections
This project is part of our Halloween STEM collection!
For more student paper chromatography experiments, see the following projects and activities:
- Candy Chromatography: What Makes Those Colors? (student science project)
- Family Science: Candy Chromatography (activity)
- Candy Chromatography Science Kit
- Paper Chromatography: Is Black Ink Really Black? (student science project)
- Reveal the Red: Exploring the Chemistry of Red Flower Pigments (student science project)
- What Color Are the Leaves Really Turning? (student science project)
- Make Your Own Markers (student science project)
- Find the Hidden Colors of Leaves (family activity)
- Explore How Chromatography Can Unmix Mixtures (student science project)
- Discover Chlorophyll Variety in Different Plants Using Paper Chromatography (student science project)
- Flower Pigment Science: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight (family activity)
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