What Causes the Light in a Fluorescent?

Where Is Fluorescent Light Used?

• Fluorescent light is emitted light with longer wavelengths of energy. This light is used in homes, community buildings and businesses for lighting because less energy is used, keeping electricity bills low. Fluorescent lights put out ultraviolet light to create lighting that is more natural like sunlight. All fluorescent lights come in sealed glass tubes or bulbs that contain small amounts of mercury and phosphor.

Energy in Fluorescent Light

• Fluorescent light is a form of energy released by atoms made up of small particles called light photons. When the atoms' electrons become active by chemical reactions inside a fluorescent light, energy is released as light photons. The amount of light that is emitted from an atom depends on how much energy is released from the electrons. Sometimes you will get bright fluorescent light and other times not so much.

Chemical Reactions in Fluorescent Light

• Fluorescent lights come in sealed glass tubes that contain mercury and colored phosphorus powder, which gives the light its particular color. On each end of the glass tube there are electrodes that are meant to be wired into an electrical circuit. When the fluorescent lights electrodes are plugged into the circuit, electrons flow through the tube creating energy that changes the liquid mercury into gas. When the mercury gas atoms come together with the electrons, light photons are released. When the light photons' atoms hit the phosphorus powder lining on the tube of the fluorescent light bulb a new energy is created called ultraviolet light.

Other Gases Used to Make Fluorescent Light

• Neon, krypton, argon and xenon also can be used to create fluorescent light when mercury isn't used. These gases react the same way mercury does when their gases' electrons come together with energy electrons. The only difference tends to be the light that is produced. Sometimes the light is bright or dim or in different colors of pink, green, blue, yellow or orange depending on how the gases react with the phosphorus powder lining in the tubes.