Chemists, Big People in a Big World

They are shiny and pretty and release a ton of light, they also come in various colors... They're GLOW STICKS

How have they impacted the World?

They provide light for little kids on Holloween and also for scuba divers in the oceans darkness.     They are a small, cheap and a  non-toxic form of light and can be stored for long periods of time.      They are also great for medical kits or emergency care kits because they are easy to use and produce a continuous glow.

Bibliography #1

Whats in a Glow Stick?

A normal glowstick contains three compounds: Hydrogen Peroxide, Phenyl Oxalate Ester and a flouresent dye.

Bibliography #1

How do they Glow?

The glow is the result of a series of steps that occur, -The Hydrogen Peroxide reacts with the Phenyl Oxalate Ester causing it to oxodize into Phenol and Peroxyacid Ester. - The unstable Peroxyzcid Ester decomposes into Phenol and Cycilic Peroxy compound. -Cyclic Peroxy then decomposes into Carbon Dioxide, which releases energy into the flourecent dye. - The added energy cause the dye's electrons to go into their active state, the electrons jump to higher shells then fall back down- when they come back down they release energy.(light photons) - Depending on the dye,  the stick will then glow that color. This process is know as chemiluminesence

How does cracking them cause the glowing?

A glowstick is a plastic shell with a mixture of flourecent dye and Phenyl Oxalate Ester. In the center of the plastic-inside the solution is a thin glass vial with Hydrogen Peroxide in it.       When you crack the stick you are really breaking the vial inside and causing the two chemicals to mix and so begins the glowing process.

Bibliography #1

Bibliography

1. Harris, Tom.      http://science.howstuffworks.com/light-stick.htm     c1998-2003, how stuff works inc.

2. www./raveon-glowsticks.com

3.www.riskreader.com/faqs/faqs_glow_stick.html