How Glow Sticks Work

Posted by carlos Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:27:00 GMT

Ever wondered how glow sticks work? I know I have! well its to do with a chemical reaction between hydrogen peroxide and phenyl oxalate ester (scientific gobbledegook). So basically imagine there is the glow stick outer casing,which has hydrogen peroxide in it and a little pill shaped object which contains phenyl oxalate ester.

So that when you crack it (so it makes a sort of click) you are releasing the hydrogen peroxide to the phenyl oxalate ester which makes the chemical reaction. So when the hydrogen peroxide touches the pheanyl oxalate ester it creates a glow.

A glow stick can be designed to either glow for a long time and be dim or for a short time and be bright. Special glow sticks are even made to give off an infrared light for night vision googles!

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  1. Keir Williams said 4 months later:

    Hey Carlos

    Your Explanation is very clear and I like how you have put scientific gobbledegook in the paragraph .

    Its all correct and your website is really cool !

  2. MatthewGalliford said about 1 year later:

    Nice website carlos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. rick said about 1 year later:

    hi

  4. lucy said about 1 year later:

    i reckon… it’s magic. :)

  5. kara jacobs said over 3 years later:

    i have got some glowsticks from the pound shop and they are brilliant and i love them and i love them because the colours are bright

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