The purpose of this experiment was to determine which colors make up the black ink in markers. To carry out this experiment, chromatography paper was used to separate the pigments in various black markers from different manufacturers. A dot of ink from each marker was placed on the chromatography paper for three trials. The chromatography paper was set in water and the ink, when combined with the water, separated into various pigments.
A measurement of the number of different pigments displayed was taken for each ink spot, for each of the three trials. The percentage of each pigment displayed was estimated for each ink spot. An average of the measurements in each of the three trials was determined for each pigment.
The Vis a Vis marker was comprised of six pigments with yellow as the largest pigment percentage. The Mr. Sketch marker had five pigments with yellow being the predominant pigment but in a different proportion than the Vis a Vis. The Crayola marker had four pigments with purple as the largest pigment percentage. The unknown manufacturer had three pigments with pink as the largest pigment percentage.
The results showed that each of the four marker manufacturers used a different number of pigments in different proportions for their black markers.