How to Make a Light Spark With a Lifesaver

If you've ever crunched a Wintergreen Lifesaver in the dark, you know that the candy will spark as you chew it. The main ingredient in this candy is wintergreen oil. When wintergreen oil is crushed by chewing, it grinds with sugar, which is also a main ingredient in the candy; an electrical charge occurs due to the friction the chewing causes. This electrical charge is called triboluminescence.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wintergreen Lifesavers
• A friend
• A mirror
• A dark area

1. Get a roll of wintergreen Lifesavers from a grocery or department store.

2. Grab a friend who can help you with this experiment.

3. Practice crunching your Lifesaver with your friend either inside with the lights on or outside during the day. Both of you face each other about 6 inches apart and each put a Wintergreen Lifesaver in your mouth at the same time. At the signal begin crunching with your mouths open.

4. Take another piece of candy and both of you, now that you have practiced what you will be doing, go into a dark room or go outside at night.

5. Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness for a moment.

6. Face each other in the dark area and put the candy in your mouth. At the signal. both of you begin crunching at the same time with your mouths open.

7. Watch as the candy sparks in your friend's mouth as he or she watches your candy spark in yours.

Tips & Warnings

• The crunched sugar crystals in the candy create an ultraviolet light spark that you can't see. Wintergreen oil converts this ultraviolet light into blue light that you can see.
• Stand in front of a mirror if you do not have a partner and watch yourself as you crunch the candy.