Everywhere you will find people that always want to do everything themselves. Glow sticks are not an exception. But before to roll up your sleeves it is worth to know why the heck glow sticks glow.
No matter what their form, glow sticks depend on a chemical reaction known as chemiluminesence to produce their light. This chemical reaction causes a release of energy. Electrons in the chemicals become excited. It makes them rise to a higher energy level. When the electrons drop back again to normal levels, they produce energy. This energy has a form of light.
Hydrogen peroxide is the usual chemical used to create this reaction in glow sticks. The mixture of phenyl oxalate ester and the fluorescent dye are chemicals that give glow sticks their color. In a small glass is contained hydrogen peroxide that floats within the mixture inside the plastic glow stick. You must bend a glow stick to make it start glowing. When the stick bends, the glass vial breaks. Then hydrogen peroxide is released, the chemical reaction begins and you get your desired glow.
The duration of your glow stick's glow depends upon the exact composition and quality of the chemicals inside. You may know that you can preserve your glow stick by sticking it in the fridge. Cooling a glow stick will slow down the chemical reaction for sure. The glow will not be as bright, but it will be spread out nevertheless over several hours. Conversely, you can also heat a light stick using warm water to speed up the chemical reaction. This way glow stick produces a much brighter light, but glow stick glows less cause the reaction will use up all of the available hydrogen peroxide much more quickly.
The glow light is made of two parts. To start chemical reaction it is needed to mix them. The chemical reaction makes them glow.
Look at chemical components for glow stick.
4 g sodium carbonate
0.2 g luminol
0.5 g ammonium carbonate
0.4 g copper sulfate pentahydrate
approx. 1 litre of distilled water.
50 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
As you see it is a great entertainment for a chemist. But do you really want to plunge in this whirlpool instead of having fun from glow stick?
May be you invent the fantastic glow party instead of known by everybody another glow stick? I think it is much better to use your brains to impress your friends this way. Glow stick for your party you easily find in the net and it will be not expensive.
3 comments:
Where do you find the ingredients for this? luminol, sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, and copper sulfate pentahydrate? I don't want to buy a chemistry set for this stuff is there another way to find these products? Maybe in house hold chemicals or at the nearest wal-mart?
Thanks for a comment Matt. As a matter of facts I am not great in chemistry but tried to collect the facts.
As for me it’s better to invent some joy with glow sticks than make them in home conditions.
Try this way.
I am the type of person who could buy glow sticks but I'd rather "know" how to make them with the stuff I can get. More or less a do-it-yourselfer.
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