Now that the candy is all eaten and Halloween is a distant memory, its time to go to the dollar store and pick up some discounted glow sticks for an easy science lesson! This easy experiment shows how energy and rates of reactions can change depending on temperature.
What you need:
Glow sticks
Cups for water
Hot water
Cold water
The Experiment:
Bend and snap the glow stick and shake it so that it starts to glow. Fill one cup with hot water and one cup with cold water. Put the glow stick in the hot water for a few minutes and take a close look at it. What happens? Now take the glow stick out of the hot water and place it into the cold water, allow it to cool down for a few minutes and take notice what happens.
How it works:
The reaction between the different compounds in a light stick causes a major release of energy. Atoms in the material are excited, causing electrons to rise to a higher energy level before returning to their normal levels. As the electrons return to their normal levels, they release energy as light, a process called chemiluminescence. A typical commercial glow stick contains a hydrogen peroxide solution, a phenyl oxalate ester, and a fluorescent dye - when you snap the glow stick, the chemicals are allowed to mix, react with each other and the atoms start emitting light. Immersing the stick in different temperatures changes the rate of the reaction, or the rate at which the atoms excite. Heating the light stick will speed up the reaction, causing it to glow brighter, while cooling it down slows the reaction. We've had a few glow sticks in the freezer for that very reason, just trying to make it last!
To make your very own ultra-cool glow stick solution, check this out at PBS.org! Happy glowing....
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2 comments:
Thank you! We are always looking for fun 'mad science' experiments!! I cannot wait to read the rest of your posts!!
Cool idea, we'll have to try it.
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