Imaginative Teaching Resources & Inspirational Career Ideas from the Chilled Food Industry
Smashing chlorophyll – that’s why leaves are green!
If you’ve ever wondered why leaves are green this experiment is for you….
You will need
White cotton fabric (we cut ours into squares)
Different leaves from the garden. We used herbs and salad leaves
Rolling pin
Hammer
Baking paper
Method
Place the fabric on a hard surface (we used a garden table and an old chopping board). Place a leaf on top.
Place the baking paper on top of the leaf (if the leaf is not flat then use the rolling pin to gently flatten it out), making sure it is covered by the paper.
Hammer the leaf evenly over the entire leaf surface. Make sure that the leaf doesn’t move around when you are hitting with the hammer. Be careful with the hammer and ask an adult to help you.
Remove the baking paper and the mashed-up leaf and see what is left behind. Can you see there is a green print of the leaf?
The science
When you hit the leaves the action releases their chlorophyll and other pigments. Some leaves will be darker than others.
Chlorophyll gives the green pigmentation to plants and algae and is essential for photosynthesis. This is the process where light energy is used to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars for the plant (growth) and oxygen.
Algae are also important for generating oxygen, and are being used as novel food ingredients.
Without chlorophyll we wouldn’t have food.