Hobbies And Interests
Components of the Light Stick
Light sticks are composed of two primary components. Each part contains a different chemical that ultimately reacts with the other to produce a colorful glow. The first is a small glass tube containing a solution of hydrogen peroxide. The vial is suspended inside a larger flexible plastic tube filled with the chemical phenyl oxalate ester (which is also known as Cyalume). The Cyalume mixture is colored with a fluorescent dye responsible for the specific color of the glow.
Activating the Light Stick
The light sick can be activated by bending the flexible plastic outer tube, thus breaking the fragile glass vial. Once the glass vial is broken, the hydrogen peroxide is released into the Cyalume. The mixture of the two chemicals upon breaking the glass vial initiates the chemical reaction that produces the glow. Shaking the light stick helps mix the two chemicals together even more and thus helps the initiation of the chemical reaction.
Chemical Reaction
The hydrogen peroxide mixes with the Cyalume as soon as the glass vial breaks in the larger plastic tube. The process of light being released through chemical reaction is known as chemiluminescence. The combination of the two chemicals forms two new chemicals: peroxyacid sster and phenol. Peroxide contributes a great deal of energy to the reaction. The energy begins to transfer to the molecules in the fluorescent dye, producing the specific color of glowing light.
Temperature and Reaction
The glowing rate and intensity can be changed with temperature. As the chemical process is based on molecular reactions between the two chemicals, hot and cold respectively speed up or slow down the rate of chemical reaction. Heating up the solution produces a brighter light that lasts for a shorter time. Cooling the solution down produces less light but increases the time the glow lasts. Putting the light stick in the freezer prolongs its life for the next day.