Cassandra Krack

Science Concept: The combination of a luminescing solution with an oxidizing solution will generate light instead of heat through a chemical reaction.

Materials:

• Two 1 liter bottles (one for the oxidizing solution and one for the luminescing solution)
• 1 Erlenmeyer flask to combine both solutions in
• LUMINESCING SOLUTION:
  • 4.0 g sodium carbonate
  • 0.2 g luminol
  • 24.0 g sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
  • 0.5 g ammonium carbonate
  • 0.4 g copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate
  • 1 liter of distilled water

    OXIDIZING SOLUTION

  • 50 mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted to 1 liter

Alternate B: Chemiluminescent powder: 4 g potassium ferrocyanide (K₄Fe(CN)₆), 0.2 g luminol, 64 g Chlorox 2 powder - Mix the powders thoroughly but do not grind. Just add water. You could try various amounts of the powder with various amounts of water. (From Rhonda Reist, CHEM 13 NEWS, April 2002, p. 6.)

Directions:

1. Carefully measure out all the substances for the luminescing solution.

2. Put the substances in the 1 liter bottle

Make the oxidizing solution and put the solution in a 1 liter bottle.

If possible, make the room as dark as possible.

Pour equal amounts of each solution into the Erlenmeyer flask

Observe the eerie blue light.

Introduction: Has anyone ever had one of those glow sticks from carnivals or the 4th of July? Did you ever wonder how they made that really cool glowing effect? Well, let me show you how!!!

Explanation: The chemical reaction called chemiluminescence is one of the very few reactions where the energy produced through the reaction is given off as light instead of heat. This same reaction occurs in lightening bugs when the chemical luciferase, that is in the insect's lower abdomen, reacts with the oxygen in the air. This reaction is happens when I mixed the luminescing solution with the oxidizing solution. This reaction is also a lot like how the glowing in the glow sticks occurs.

The oxidizing solution, water and 3% hydrogen peroxide, is mixed with the Cu+2 ion catalyst and then the blue light is produced because of this reaction with luminol. The luminol is oxidized by the hyrogen peroxide in a basic solution to an excited state. The excited state of the luminol than changes back to the stable state with the emission of light.

Safety: Ammonium carbonate has a very strong smell - carefully open in the hood.

Waste Disposal: All liquid materials may be put down the drain.

Source: Shakhashiri, Bassam, Chemical Demonstrations, Vol. 1, U. Wisconsin Press, 1983, p. 156.

Summerlin, L, Ealy, J, Chemical Demonstrations, American Chemical Society, 1985, p. 138.