How to Make Things Glow in the Dark

There are three different phenomena that cause something to glow in the dark: chemiluminescence, fluorescence and phosphorescence. Chemiluminescence is an actual chemical reaction that produces light, and usually lasts anywhere from a few minutes to hours. Fluorescence is when an object absorbs a high-energy photon such as ultraviolet light, and then re-releases it as visible light. Phosphorescence is like fluorescence, but with a delay--phosphorescent objects can glow for hours.

Things You'll Need

• Light sticks Knife Glue Bowl Paint brush Luminol Hydrogen peroxide Poster board Fluorescent markers Fluorescent paints Shirt Detergent Tonic water Black light Glow-in-the-dark paint

Instructions

Chemiluminescence

1. Bend a light stick until it makes a crack, then shake it up to start it glowing.

2. Carefully cut off the top of the light stick with a knife and pour the liquid into a bowl. Mix in a little bit of glue if you want a stickier paint with a duller glow.

3. Use a paint brush to coat whatever you want to make glow with the light-stick fluid.

4. Try another chemiluminescent substance. Pour luminol in a bowl and add a bit of hydrogen peroxide. It will glow a bright blue for a short period of time.

Fluorescence

1. Decorate poster board with fluorescent markers or paints. Most highlighters will work well.

2. Wash a shirt in a detergent with an optical brightener. Look for any detergent that promises "brightening" on the package.

3. Get a bottle of tonic water. You can either pour some in a bowl or simply leave it in the bottle.

4. Shine a black light on the markers, the shirt and the tonic water. Observe how they all glow. Observe which object glows the brightest and whether the paints have the same colors when they glow in the dark as they do otherwise.

5. Cover the object that you want to glow in the dark with your favorite glowing substance. You can put detergent on it or tonic water, or you can just paint on it with fluorescent paint.

Phosphorescence

1. Purchase several different bottles of glow-in-the-dark paint.

2. Hold the paint bottles under a light for a few minutes if they were not sitting in a well-lighted spot.

3. One at a time, take the individual bottles and hold them cupped in your hands up to your eyes so that no light shines through. You will be able to see each glowing. Choose the colors you like.

4. Cover anything that you want to glow with the glow-in-the-dark paint. Let it sit under a bright light for several hours. Then, turn off the lights and darken the room to make it glow.

Tips & Warnings

• Saliva, bleach, blood and many other common liquids are fluorescent.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish