Re: Re: Hyb- Kitchen chemistry

Chuck

Have a try at some chromatography to separate out the pigments. Get some
fine blotting paper, spot the pigment solution repeatedly in a small
spot,drying with a hair dryer to allow you to keep loading in the same spot.
Have the spot about an inch from the bottom of the paper. Next stand the
paper so that it is in the solvent but the solvent doesn't quite reach the
spot. Cover the jar. The solvent front will slowly creep up the piece of
paper and as it does so it will separate out the various pigment so eg you
can see exactly what anthocyanins you have.

Colleen
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <irischapman@netscape.net>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 10:43 AM
Subject: [iris] Re: Hyb- Kitchen chemistry


> A brief note on procedures.
>
> I use three solvents.
> 1) Distiled water  -I cheat and use water from dehumidifier
> 2) Methyl hydrate- (an alchol) the alchol solvent used for paints very
pure and very cheap
> 3) Clear lamp oil readily available and also very cheap
>
>
> I bought myself a  morter and pestle and grind up flower parts in the
appropriate solvent. Grinding in water primarily removes water based
pigments.
>
> All flower and solvent mixtures are filtered with coffee filters. Works
reasonably well to remove solids. Sometimes some small suspended paarticles
seep through.
>
> For oil based pigments can grind in methyl Hydrate. this also removes
water based pigment. Put this distilate in a test tube with an equal amount
of lamp oil, cover and shake.  After settling the oil based pigment moves
into   oil and water based pigments stay in alchol. The water based pigments
will deteriorate rapidly in the methyl hydrate so take photos right away.
Oil base pigments much more stable.
>
> To get lycopene is a bit more complicated. It doesn'r disolve in alcohol.
Can grind in oil but then have everthing else and can't seperate from
carotenes. So heat it in alcohol until carptene is disolved. I do this by
puting petal in alcohol in a pyrex measuring cup anp putting cup in a
saucepan of water and heat. This perevents overheating and controls
temperature better.
> When removing petal from alcohol can see lycopene and pattern of
distribution. Now can grind up petal in oil and filter.
>
> There you have it.  All done in the kitchen.
>
> Also interesting to extract from various vegtables and fruit and compare
with what is known about them. Red cabbage extract can be use as a ph meter
as it changes colour with ph of solution.
>
> Some dark purple/black pigment are too intense so have to be diluted to
get a good sence of their colour.
>
> Now trying some   daylilies. Their orange seems to be an anthocyanin and
beta-carotene combination. Not the same as iris orange.
>
>
> Chuck Chapman
>
>
>
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