Organic Geochemistry

Scientists use the building blocks of life to understand how climate changes through time.

Join us for a hands-on activity in “chemical forensics” in order to find out the biological molecules present in leaves.

We will crush up leaves with a mortar and pestle and extract/separate the pigments. The pigments will be extracted using rubbing alcohol and the separation visualized using coffee filters. 

We can also separate out the “colors” in black markers using water, coffee filters, and paper towels.