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Chromatography A black marker is useful for many things. Drawing, writing bold words, and labeling moving boxes are just a few. However, talk to a scientist and you may find out that the black ink in it really isn't black ink at all but rather a soup of different colors mixed together. In fact, you can find out for yourself through an easy experiment using chromatography. Simply get a coffee filter or a paper towel and draw a two-inch line in the middle with a black marker. Then, dip one end of the paper into a shallow cup of water, and watch what happens. When the water climbs up the paper and reaches the line, it separates the "black" ink into different colors. The water then carries each color to a different level depending on the weight and size of the molecules in each dye. Chromatography is like a cluster of toy boats each floating to a different location in a pool. If you try the experiment with several different types of markers, it's likely you'll find that each one has its own pattern. That's because not all companies make black ink with the same components, or mixture of different colored ink. Italian-Russian botanist Mikhail Tsvet invented chromatography in 1906 while he was researching plant pigments. Chromatography is a way to separate the different parts of mixtures so they can be studied individually. For example, scientists use the process to analyze the pollutants found in water. Chromatography is used in many fields. Police even use it to help solve crimes such as bank robberies. Banks sometimes insert small red dye packs into bags of money that are handed to criminals during a robbery. When the criminals escape, the packs explode through the use of a timer and spill red ink on the hands of the criminals. If a suspect is caught "red handed," the police can use chromatography to see if the ink on the suspect matches the ink used by the bank. 3 Read the sentence from the third paragraph. The water then carries each color to a different level depending on the weight and size

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Answer:

The sentence from the third paragraph is: "The water then carries each color to a different level depending on the weight and size of the molecules in each dye."

This sentence explains how chromatography works in the context of the experiment with the black marker. When the water climbs up the paper and reaches the line drawn with the black marker, it interacts with the ink and separates it into different colors. The separation occurs because each color or dye in the ink has molecules with different weights and sizes.

As the water moves up the paper, it carries the individual colors or dyes with it. However, since the molecules of each dye differ in weight and size, they are carried to different levels on the paper. This separation creates distinct bands or patterns of color, allowing one to observe the different components that make up the supposedly "black" ink.

By analyzing the patterns and distances traveled by the colors, scientists can gain insight into the composition of the ink and the specific dyes used. This principle of chromatography, where substances are separated based on their molecular characteristics, is applicable not only in the case of markers but also in various scientific and forensic analyses.

Step-by-step explanation:

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