Take a large green leaf and place it in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Next, put the leaf in a tall glass filled with rubbing alcohol. Soak the glass in a small plastic tub of warm water for approximately one hour, and you will see the rubbing alcohol has turned green. The chlorophyll has drained from the leaf, and is now in the alcohol, which broke down the cell membranes of the leaf.
By testing the growth of a plant from seedling stage, you can test the effect of chlorophyll on leaves when they are grown under different colors of light. Since chlorophyll pigments exist in the cells of a plant, the pigment will automatically absorb all light colors except for green, since this is already the color of the pigment. When placing a green plant under a green light to grow, the light will instead reflect against the pigment and photosynthesis will not take place. Thus, the leaf will not turn green. For this experiment, simply plant the seedlings of the same plant genus in pots under different colored light bulbs, taking notes and photographing the outcomes.
Similar to the leaf color change experiment, leaf chromatography allows an individual to experience the rainbow colored qualities found hidden inside of a leaf, using only simple household items. You will need a coffee filter, leaves, scissors, a coin, rubbing alcohol, a glass jar, pencil, scotch tape and aluminum foil. Cut a strip approximately one inch wide from the coffee filter, cutting one end into a point shape. Place the leaf on the coffee filter and then roll the edge of the coin over the leaf. This will cause some green leaf juice to leak onto the paper. Allow it to dry and then repeat the steps with three different leaves. Pour a thin layer of rubbing alcohol into the base of a jar. Take the coffee filter strip to the middle of the pencil and hang it so the point of the strip touches the alcohol. Be sure to keep the leaf juices out of the alcohol. Lay foil over the top of the jar, which will trap the alcohol and prevent it to evaporating. The alcohol will in turn move up the coffee filter strip and the colors will separate. Record how many colors you see on the finished coffee filter strip. The completed paper is what is known as chromatography.
By cooking green vegetables, you can observe the chemical process chlorophyll goes through, and have a healthy snack after the fact. Boil half a pot full of boiling water and add broccoli. Observe the color of the broccoli and then place a lid over the pot. Boil for approximately 15 minutes and then take it out of the water. When the broccoli first entered the water, it should have turned bright green due to air bubbles expanding and escaping from the plant cells. The green dulls after the broccoli has been cooked since now the chemical structure has been changed.
Next, repeat the experiment with fresh pieces of broccoli, this time adding baking soda to the water. In this instance, the broccoli should remain bright green even after boiling for 15 minutes. The baking soda neutralizes the acids and retains the color.