Chemical Reactions:
Glow Sticks
Abraham Torres, Kevin Wakefield, and Allison Woods
CHM110
January 21, 2013
CHERYL BURLEIGH
Development of the Glow Stick
1. Modern glow stick was invented by
Herbert Richter and Ruth Tedrick. A
patent was filed in March of 1973 and
awarded in June of 1974.
2. Glow sticks were developed by the
United States Navy.
Practical Applications of Glow Sticks
1. Military Use
2. Entertainment
3. Camping
4. Recreational Diving
5. Disaster and Emergency Situations
What is a Glow Stick?
1. Plastic casing containing isolated
chemicals.
2. Inner glass vial contains hydrogen
peroxide.
3. Phenyl oxalate and fluorescent dye
solution.
4. Hydrogen peroxide solution.
5. Isolated chemicals mix triggering an
exothermic reaction that generates
light. This is known as
Chemoluminescence.
Chemical Reaction Behind the Light
1.
Glow sticks are activated when the
isolated chemicals hydrogen peroxide
and diphenyl oxalate react, releasing
phenol and cyclic peroxide.
2. Peroxides are an ideal reactant because
the bonds between the oxygen atoms
are easily broken releasing energy.
3.
The cyclic peroxide then interacts with a
fluorescent dye molecule releasing 2
molecules of carbon dioxide and exciting
the electrons of the dye, it is the
fluorescent dye that responsible for the
color the glow stick. When the electrons
relax, a photon of light energy is
released.
Movement Between Electron Shells
Fluorophores:
The Colors Behind the Light Part 1
Fluorophores:
The Colors Behind the Light Part 2
Example 1
Example 2
Summary
1. Glow sticks were developed by the United States Navy and was awarded
a patent in 1974.
2. The glow stick has many practical applications.
3. A glow stick is a single use short term light source that is contained
within a plastic tube. This tube contains isolated chemicals and when
mixed together, the chemical reaction that follows produces light
energy. This is known as Chemoluminescence.
4. Chemoluminescence is an exothermic chemical reaction.
5. Fluorophores determine the color of the light emitted.
References
About Chemistry (n.d). Glow Stick Chemical Reaction retreived 1/17/2013 from
http://chemistry.about.com/od/imagesclipartstructures/ig/ChemicalReactions/Glowstick-Chemical-Reaction.htm
Helmenstine, A. M. (n.d.). Light Stick Colors. Retrieved from
http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa031703a.htm
Light made through chemical reactions: Chemoluminescence. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/4AD.html
United States Patent Office. (n.d.). United States Patent 3,819,925. Retrieved
from
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nphParser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2
Fsearchbool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PALL&s1=3819925.PN.&OS=P
N/38199 25&RS=PN/3819925
Welsh, E. (2011). What is Chemoluminescence? Retrieved from
http://www.scienceinschool.org/repository/docs/issue19_chemilumine
scence.pdf