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Observation of the Chlorophyll Chromatography Process in Weightlessness (Chlorophyl)
04.26.13

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Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Imagery

Experiment Overview

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Brief Summary

CCM will test the chromatography of chlorophyll (the separation of pigment in plants on chromatography paper by capillary action) from Brazilian native plants.

Principal Investigator(s)

Information Pending

Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

Information Pending

Developer(s)
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Sponsoring Space Agency

Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)

Sponsoring Organization

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Research Benefits

Information Pending

ISS Expedition Duration

April 2006 - September 2006

Expeditions Assigned

13

Previous ISS Missions

Information Pending

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Experiment Description

Research Overview

Information Pending

Description

Observation of the chlorophyll chromatography process in zero-g conditions with an educational view.

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Applications

Space Applications

Information Pending

Earth Applications

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Operations

Operational Requirements

Information Pending

Operational Protocols

Transmission of a mixture of pigments through a layer of colorless sorbent and registration of colored areas of chromagrams. Two labeled sealed experimental chambers are used in the experiment. Each chamber contains a sheet of chromatographic paper and a syringe filled with a chlorophyll solution. Chlorophyll is produced from leaves of a Brazilian plant and dissolved in ethyl alcohol. The chlorophyll chromatography activation is performed through solution injection to the chromatographic paper. As molecules in chlorophyll pigments have different characteristics (such as size and dissolubility), they move with different velocities over the paper sheet under the effect of solvent (ethylene glycol in this case). Chlorophyll has different pigments (carotenes, xanthophylls, chlorophyll A and chlorophyll B) of a typical color. When chlorophyll solution passes through chromatographic paper, molecules of each of pigments behave differently, that results in a phenomenon similar to a rainbow. As the gravity influences the capillary effect, different chromatograms will be received in zero-g conditions and on the ground. To register the chlorophyll chromatography process, photography performed by onboard aids of the Russian segment is used.

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Results/More Information

Information on the chlorophyll chromatography recorded on the flash card and registration sheets.

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Related Websites
  • Energia - Science Research on the ISS Russian Segment

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    Imagery

    image CCM kit which includes Experimental chambers (2 pc), CCM flash card and CCM registration sheets.
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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Research-Helpline.
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