Why Buy Glow Sticks?

Glow sticks are a popular party item for a long time. Any party, festival or school party is complete without the addition of a few glow sticks to the mix. Have you ever considered the scientific basis of glow sticks? What is it that makes glow sticks glow? What do they have to relate to fireflies? Why are they the only source of light suitable for use in the event of a disaster?

How does light get created? Let me excite your atoms…

Light is created by the moment an external source of energy excites atoms, which causes them to release a plethora of energy known as photons.

For instance when you turn an on a lightbulb and the electricity generates heat energy, which causes the atoms to be excited and speed up. As they speed up, they come into contact with one another with a greater force, and transfer energy to the electrons of the atom. They are temporarily “excited by an increased energy level, and when they return to their normal level, they release a portion of their energy as light photons.

There are a myriad of methods that can be employed to produce light, however the two most acquainted with in everyday life are:

Incandescence – The emission of light is caused by heat. This is the way fire produces light. It’s the same way that your typical light bulb operates.

Phosphorescence and fluorescence Light is released by radiation energy. This is how television screen and light bulbs generate light.

Bulk glow sticks emit light the same manner – hundreds of excited atoms banging into one another, release energy through light photons. Instead of radiation or heat an chemical reaction is utilized to stimulate the atoms within the material. The process is referred to as chemiluminescence.

What’s chemiluminesence and what’s it for when you’re at home?

Chemiluminescence can be described as one of the applications from a naturally occurring phenomenon known as luminescence. Basically, luminescence refers to the process of producing light that is not heated.

It is all over the world. Glowworms and fireflies utilize luminescence to attract their mates, and the Anglerfish (that large, scary fish that is featured in Finding Nemo) uses it to draw prey.

Chemiluminescence recreates the luminescence seen in nature, by mixing a variety of chemical compounds in an chemical reaction. When the chemicals mix, the atoms inside them reorganize to create new compounds. The energy produced through this chemical reaction result in luminescence.

In simple terms they emit the light of two substances when they mix. The glow stick serves as a house that houses the chemical mixtures to trigger the reaction.

The majority of glow sticks are composed of two compartments. A tiny, brittle container is placed in an outer plastic container. Each container holds an ingredient that is chemical.

The glow stick’s brittle outer container snaps, releasing the contents into the substances in the outside container. This is when the atoms of your body are excited and start emitting energy through light.

The glass bottle contains diphenyl-oxalate solutions as well as the fluorescent dye. The solution is enclosed in a plastic casing that also houses the solution of hydrogen peroxide. If the glass bottle is snapped the two solutions are mixed. The resulting chemical reaction causes an emitted glow. Be aware that these chemicals could cause irritation to the skin, and the glass vials create sharp shards when they are snapped. We don’t recommend the dismantling of the glow stick.

In addition, since glow sticks utilize an chemical reaction inside the tube that is sealed to create light, they are the most safe kind of light that you can make use of following a catastrophe. In situations where the temperature needed for incandescent light could be hazardous, glow sticks are the ideal choice.

If you’re in the process of preparing your underground bunker for the event of apocalypse We’ve got that glow stick you’ll require.

Here’s the scientific part…

Typically, glow sticks utilize an chemical reaction that involves hydrogen peroxide, and a solution containing diphenyl oxide and an fluorescent dye. It is a similar process to this:

The diphenyloxalate compound is oxidised by hydrogen peroxide. This causes an unsteady chemical (1,2-dioxtanedione).
The insoluble compound breaks down into carbon dioxide and releases energy in the fluorescent dye when it breaks down.
Energy released triggers electrons of the dye atoms to leap into a higher state. When they return to normal levels, electrons emit their energy as a form light.

Chemical reactions are irreversible that’s why glow sticks are only available for only one purpose. However, you can slow or speed up the reaction by using the heat.

Put a glow stick in your armpit. The added heat energy will speed up the reaction. The object (the glow stick and not an armpit) will shine brighter for a shorter time. Place your glow stick in the freezer, and you’ll reduce the speed of reaction. The light will dim but it will stay glowing much longer.

However, if it takes a while or is slow when it takes place, eventually all the diphenyloxalate and hydrogen peroxide will be consumed through an chemical reaction. When one of these substances is exhausted the glow stick stops blinking.

What makes glow sticks shine in different colors?

A variety of chemical compounds are used to produce chemical luminescence. Based on the chemical employed, as well as the type of dye employed, the glow stick emits different colored light.