Hobbies And Interests
Distilled Hydrogen Peroxide
Water, hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate, copper sulfate pentahydrate and luminol are the ingredients used in creating homemade glow sticks. Part of the process in making the glowing liquid for the glow sticks is diluting the hydrogen peroxide with water. This concoction is set aside and not added into the mixture until the very last step. As a science experiment, form a hypothesis about the effect that the hydrogen peroxide has on the rest of the solution and whether it's necessary to distill the peroxide. You can perform two test samples: one sample that uses the proper distilled hydrogen peroxide and another that uses hydrogen peroxide that isn't distilled. You will find that distilling the hydrogen peroxide and not distilling it produce equal effects, because the hydrogen peroxide works the same way, by reacting to the luminol that creates the glow.
Temperature
Temperature is a factor when it comes to how long a glow stick illuminates. Heat causes glow sticks to burn out more quickly than cold conditions. For instance, if you put a glow stick in the freezer, it lasts longer. As a science project, experiment with the temperature of the water that you use to make the glowing liquid. Create one glow solution using cold water and another solution with hot water. See whether the two temperatures impact the glow of the solution. You will find that the solution made with the warm water glows brighter but dies down sooner, and the solution made with cold water looks dimmer but glows for a longer period of time.
Plastic Versus Glass Containers
Another science project to perform is whether the type of material that the stick, or container, is made of has an effect on the brightness or longevity of the glowing liquid. For this project, fill one glass vial and one plastic vial with the liquid light. Decide what type of environmental conditions to keep them in, such as in the freezer or out on the work table. It doesn't matter, just as long as the conditions are the same for each container. As you monitor the two containers, you will see that the plastic or glass containers don't make a difference, so these are not variables that play a part in how bright or long the liquid light remains glowing.
Light Source Test
Experiment with whether ultraviolet light plays a part in making your homemade glow sticks last longer. You need two lamps for this experiment: one that emits a significant amount of UV rays, such as a fluorescent lamp, and one that emits less UV rays, such as an infrared lamp. Place one homemade glow stick underneath one lamp and the second glow stick under the second lamp. Leave them there for an equal amount of time and then turn the lights off and wait to see which glow stick lasts the longest. The outcome is that the glow stick under the ultraviolet light glows longer than the one from the infrared light.