Glow Sticks Research Paper
Glow Sticks
Since being invented some 25 years ago the glow sticks we as children have grown up with are still the partying craze at rave events and darkly illuminated venues that need that little kick of hand held lights.
The principal on which glow sticks work to an everyday person is almost supernatural, but in fact the technology used to make it and the way it works is actually very simple indeed. But how does a light stick give off such a strong light source with no bulb and no battery. As a form of energy, light can be emitted through a variety of processes. These processes may include 1. Incandescent lighting works through the emission of light due to heat, this is the process of an ordinary light bulb. 2. Both fluorescent and phosphorescent lighting is the emission of light in response to radiation energy. …show more content…
The reaction between the different compounds in a light stick causes a substantial release of energy. Just as in an incandescent light bulb the atoms in the materials are excited, causing electrons to rise to a higher energy level and then return to their normal levels. After the process whereby the electrons return to their normal levels, they release energy as light. This is known as the process of chemiluminesence and is the reason why glow sticks work.
But what are the chemicals compounds that react chemically in a light stick. In a typical commercial light stick there is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide solution and a solution containing a phenyl oxalate ester and a fluorescent dye. Here's the sequence of events when the two solutions are combined: 1. The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and an unstable peroxyacid ester. 2. The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes, resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic peroxy compound. 3. The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon
Since being invented some 25 years ago the glow sticks we as children have grown up with are still the partying craze at rave events and darkly illuminated venues that need that little kick of hand held lights.
The principal on which glow sticks work to an everyday person is almost supernatural, but in fact the technology used to make it and the way it works is actually very simple indeed. But how does a light stick give off such a strong light source with no bulb and no battery. As a form of energy, light can be emitted through a variety of processes. These processes may include 1. Incandescent lighting works through the emission of light due to heat, this is the process of an ordinary light bulb. 2. Both fluorescent and phosphorescent lighting is the emission of light in response to radiation energy. …show more content…
The reaction between the different compounds in a light stick causes a substantial release of energy. Just as in an incandescent light bulb the atoms in the materials are excited, causing electrons to rise to a higher energy level and then return to their normal levels. After the process whereby the electrons return to their normal levels, they release energy as light. This is known as the process of chemiluminesence and is the reason why glow sticks work.
But what are the chemicals compounds that react chemically in a light stick. In a typical commercial light stick there is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide solution and a solution containing a phenyl oxalate ester and a fluorescent dye. Here's the sequence of events when the two solutions are combined: 1. The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and an unstable peroxyacid ester. 2. The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes, resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic peroxy compound. 3. The cyclic peroxy compound decomposes to carbon