How do you extract green pigment from leaves?

The green pigment, chlorophyll, can be extracted from leaves using a combination of heat and alcohol.

Here's a detailed breakdown of how to do it:

Materials You'll Need

Prepare the Leaves:
- Tear or chop the leaves into small pieces. This increases the surface area, aiding in pigment extraction.
Place Leaves and Alcohol:
- Put the chopped leaves into the heat-safe container.
- Add enough rubbing alcohol to cover the leaves completely.
Heat the Mixture:
- Carefully place the container with the leaves and alcohol into a larger container filled with hot water. This is like making tea, where the hot water indirectly heats the alcohol, as noted in the YouTube video excerpted.
- The hot water bath helps to gently heat the alcohol, making it more effective in dissolving the chlorophyll. The video also advises swirling the mixture every few minutes.
Soak and Swirl:
- Allow the mixture to sit for several minutes. The hot alcohol will draw the pigments out of the leaves. The video emphasizes the importance of the hot water heating the alcohol to dissolve the colors in the leaves, similar to making tea.
- Swirl the container every few minutes to help the process.
Filter the Solution:
- Carefully pour the alcohol and leaf mixture through the filter into another container. This will separate the liquid containing the extracted pigments from the solid leaf material.
- The filtered liquid will contain the extracted chlorophyll, and other pigments.

Alcohol: Chlorophyll is not soluble in water but is soluble in organic solvents like alcohol.
Heat: Heat enhances the rate at which chlorophyll dissolves into the alcohol. The hot water bath provides a safe and controlled way to heat the alcohol.

By following these steps, you can extract the green pigment from leaves and observe the chlorophyll solution.